Mass Effect: Equivocation
by Sigyn2011
Summary: What would you do if you were betrayed? This describes the life of an original character of mine who was featured as a Shadow Broker agent in "Vindication" named Serena Longoria. If you like Ash or Miranda, this woman might just be right up your alley.
1. Chapter 1

**Mass Effect: Equivocation**

Chapter One

Halifax, Novia Scotia, Canada, November 9th, 2161, 911h

The autumn cold swept many deciduous trees' leaves all around the grave site. The funeral was not large for Maggie Longoria; only a dozen people stood huddled around the casket. Russell Longoria kept his six year old daughter Serena close to him for warmth. As the minister spoke from a passage of the gospel of John and of the Lord Jesus' resurrection, the words did not bring him comfort. Instead, they only angered him. His wife had been taken from him-she had a sudden brain aneurysm. There was no time for him to even react. She had been making dinner at the time and cursed at a piece of minced onion that had fallen to the floor. As Maggie bent down to pick it up, she held her hand to her head, and fell over.

Russell had rushed over to the kitchen to see what had happened. She had not cut herself-he couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. She wasn't even breathing. After the autopsy, the medical examiner gave his official cause of death, which made Russell even more furious. He knew that Maggie had been suffering from headaches, migraines even sometimes. But they had gone in for a CT scan-she had no tumors at all. The coroner said that unfortunately, this can be hereditary, especially if either of her parents had suffered from strokes. He also said that this may show up in his daughter later in life depending upon her lifestyle, and that as her father, he should warn her of it. Russell didn't know about Maggie's family history; he didn't care. His wife was gone.

He recounted this event in his mind for the past three days-over and over again. What could he have done to prevent it? This was North America, the finest continent for medical care! And best of all, Canadian healthcare was free! But what if the doctors that had taken her CT scan were wrong? What if they missed something because they had another case to move onto that was more important?

Serena tugged at her father's coat and held up her gloved hand. She was probably cold, and snowflakes were just starting to fall. Russell picked his daughter up and held her tightly. She was all that he had left of his wife, but it didn't matter. Maggie was stolen from him. "Dad…" she said and nuzzled her face into his shoulder.

"Not now," he pushed her away and put her down onto the ground.

The minister finished speaking and all of the Longorias' relatives and friends passed their flowers onto the closed casket. "Mr. Longoria, would you like to say anything?" he inquired.

"Lower her down before the storm gets worse," Russell replied coldly and stared at the empty hole soon to be a full grave. "I paid good money for that casket."

"Yes, Mr. Longoria, as you wish." The minister bowed his head and activated his omni-tool.

The pearl-white finished casket went down into the ground with the help of a mass effect field seconds later. The crowd dispersed, and only one party member remained left to speak with Russell. "Got any plans tonight, Russ? We could drop Serena off somewhere to stay for the night and go have a few drinks," the man offered.

"Can't drink tonight, have to work tomorrow. I've made arrangements for Serena to stay with Maggie's sister for the next few weeks," Russell answered him. "I might take you up on that offer after I get back from the job, though."

"How much longer are you gonna keep sawing those trees down by yourself? You should hire a couple of guys to help."

"I plan on starting my own company really soon, actually. With the money I get from this latest job, I should be able to afford a downpayment on a space in Toronto."

"You're moving, eh?"

"Can't stay here anymore, not in that house, not in this city. Halifax's been real picturesque and all, but metropolitan city life is good, too."

"I don't blame you, Russ," the man shook his head. "Not one little bit. Take care of yourself."

Longoria Lumber, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

November 9th, 2167, 1832h

"Dad? Can I come in?" Serena's eleven year old voice called across his office.

"Yeah, go ahead," he said and unlocked the door. This was a complete inconvenience; he had work to do. Hopefully, this wasn't just another question about a math problem. That's why he had hired a tutor for her. "What do you need, Serena?"

She approached his huge desk timidly. He looked so buried in his work that he barely even lifted his head away from his monitor to look at her. "Well, um, it's been five years since Mom died, and um…-"

"What did I say about the word um, Serena? If you're gonna say something, you better think of what you want to say first before you come out with it. Don't waste my time; I'm extremely busy," Longoria answered her sternly.

"Sorry. Are you busy enough to take a trip up to Halifax? I mean, I wanted to go see Mom."

"You can see Mom anytime you'd like through the extranet. I had that web cam installed for that reason. You can even take a look at some of those holos at home. You know where they are on our server."

"But I meant, can we actually go there?"

"You've got school tomorrow."'

"Can't I get a sick day? You've got people who take sick days all the time and aren't really sick."

He rolled his eyes and finally glanced at her as if she were a bug. "I've got work to do, Serena. And I'll probably fire those people soon for doing so."

"But Dad…-"

"I hope you're not about to whine at me," he raised his voice in volume. "Do you know what I do with whiners?!"

She swallowed and took a step back from his bureau. "Yes, Dad. I'm sorry, I won't do it again."

"Good. Now, go downstairs. I've got a car waiting for you to take you home. I'll be there in another hour. Heather will have your dinner ready for you then." Serena clenched her teeth and turned around with a dour look on her face. She would obey her father now…for the last time.

Longoria Residence, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

November 9th, 2168, 2141h

"Mr. Longoria!" his chauffeur yelled through his intercom. "You've gotta get down here to the garage, quick! I've called the fire department, but I don't know if they can get here in time!"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm getting outta here, this place is gonna go up in smoke!"

"Turn on the foggers and the halo system!"

"I can't, they're not responding!"

Longoria left his den and rushed down the stairs. He forced his way into his daughter's room, and she was nowhere to be found. "Serena!" he called out, but there was no response. "Serena!" He searched as much of the house as he could, but she was not in it.

Half an hour later, the fire department put out the flames, but unfortunately could not save all of his cars. Most of them were destroyed beyond repair, but thankfully, the garage's structure was just fine.

"Mr. Longoria," the captain motioned towards the lumberjack, "you should know that your halo system would have gone off if somebody hadn't tampered with it. The network cables leading to the controls were cut, probably with a pair of side cutters."

"I see. And how did the fire start?"

"It was no accident, that's for sure. It looks like somebody opened up some of those paint cans and threw a match in." He pointed to the charred remains of the canisters. "That'd be my guess."

"You know that I love working for ya, Mr. Longoria, right?" the chauffeur held up his hands. "I'd never do something like this! I want my job!"

"No, I know you better than that, Bernard. I think I have a good idea of who it was, and she'll likely come back to visit the scene of the crime soon."

One hour later, in the garage…

"I knew it was you," Longoria announced as he turned on the lights. She was trying to sneak back in and put the cutters back on the pegboard. "You've got a lot of explaining to do, young lady."

"Do I? What if I don't have anything to say?" she crossed her arms defiantly.

"That's it, Serena. I'm done. I don't care what time of the year it is." He threw a piece of broken glass at one of the walls. "Tomorrow morning, you're going to Vancouver. Alone. And you're gonna stay in that school, or so help me…" Russell threw another piece, but this one was bigger, and it landed right at her feet.

Harper Boarding School, Vancouver, BC

June 12th, 2169, 849h

As the bell rang to end another class, Serena's history teacher finished her last sentence. The students began to file out of the classroom noisily like most thirteen and fourteen year olds. Serena stayed behind to collect her things, and her teacher approached her desk. "Miss Longoria, we need to talk," the woman began.

"About what?"

"Twentieth century North American history may not seem quite interesting to young people, but I don't think that you're not doing well in this class because you don't like history."

"Your point?"

"I don't like your tone, Miss Longoria. Reconsider it carefully." The teacher folded her arms in front of her chest. "I'm concerned about you. You don't seem to have too many friends, and you seemed to be wrapped up in those e-zine articles. I hope those articles aren't about anything violent."

"Worried that I'll blow up the school? Gun down my classmates?"

"I wouldn't joke about something like that if I were you."

"Please," Serena chuffed. "You are _so_ not worth my time." She picked up her knapsack and left the classroom.

Serena walked outside of the historical and arts building across the greens to the dormitory for girls. She hated her life here. No one was interested in anything except fashion, pop stars, and makeup. But it was better than being at home where her father could have complete control over _everything_ she ever wore, who her friends were, or what she did. She dug into her knapsack for something to eat, not looking where she was going, and suddenly, she ran into a boy. The sack fell to the ground. "Oh, excuse me. I must not have been paying attention to where I was going," a young man apologized and retrieved it for her.

He had deep brown eyes, slightly wavy chocolate hair, and the kind of complexion a young puppy might have while playing fetch with his master.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, too," Serena nodded, taking the backpack from him.

"I've seen you around here before a few times, walking around like…well, I don't know…the world's not right."

"What do you mean?" her face was a question mark.

"I'm Kaidan Alenko. It's nice to meet you," he smiled genuinely and held out his hand.

"That's kind of an odd thing to say to someone who just plowed right into you," Serena's eyebrow rose, but she did eventually give in and shake his hand. "Serena Longoria."

"Was I right, though?"

She shrugged but didn't reply.

"What subjects do you like?"

"Anything but history," she finally opened up a little.

"Right…nobody likes Jones. She words her tests really strangely-if you want to do well, read ahead," Kaidan suggested.

"How'd you know I had her?"

"She teaches all of history, but I noticed a couple of books in your backpack. She's the only teacher who makes everyone still use 'em. Makes sense, I guess, in an ironic way."

"Oh. Yeah, it does."

"Look, I've got to get going, but it was good to meet you. Want to talk again sometime?"

"_You_ talk to _me_? Aren't you older than me?"

"Just by a couple of years, I think. Why, is there a law where you came from that forbids it?"

Serena snickered through her nose and grinned. "No, of course not, well, at least in Ontario. Who knows about someone from Alberta or Winnipeg, though?"

"They're _interesting_ people. But at least they let us start to drink earlier; can't be all that bad, can they?"

"You're right. Guess it was nice to meet someone that seems like a real person here. See you later, Kaidan." She turned to leave.

"Look forward to it, Serena," he called after her.

Author's Notes:

So if you've read my first published novel here, which was "Vindication", it's likely that you might remember a character of my own creation by the name of Serena Longoria who is a Shadow Broker agent. At first, she was going to have a really short supporting role as just being someone that Liara spoke to for intel. But then, I wanted to make a character who was nearly a synthesis of Ashley and Miranda. As I did some brainstorming for ideas about stories, I wanted to do something really original. Many people have done some backstory for Miranda and Ashley. I kind of wanted to do the same thing but thought that perhaps the Mass Effect writers would be doing that in ME3 at the time.

This novel is finished, but you'll just again see small parts being posted at a time because I'm editing it now. I hope that everyone will enjoy it.

Destination is still in production-I'm reposting this because it has anachronisms in it, so, many apologies for my errors. This was written before I had a beta reader, who happens to be on vacation right now. I also just wanted to fix a few of those errors as well as generate a bit more publicity for my self-published novel called "The Edge of Obliteration". You can find this novel on Amazon dot com as well as Barnes and Noble on paperback for $14 plus shipping and handling fees. It is also available in e-book format and also on Trafford dot com. There is a free preview on Trafford as well as the version made for the Kindle. This book is set in the future and revolves around a sci-fi conspiracy. It's not a Mass Effect novel; however, the video game series has helped me come back to writing. So if you enjoy my style, please do take a look because I am planning a sequel.

Thank you in advance to everyone for reading this story as well as perhaps even buying the original novel. It's been my hope and pleasure to entertain everyone as well as myself. As the thief Kasumi would say: "I do what I do for the love of it".


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Just outside of Harper Boarding School, Vancouver, B.C.

September 16th, 2169, 902h

The evergreen scent lingered in the air, and Serena inhaled it deeply through her nostrils as she leaned against a tree to catch her breath. She couldn't take another two minutes more; she had to get out of those stuffy classrooms, and the next time that she'd get a breather would have been long after two o'clock in the afternoon. She closed her eyes briefly to concentrate, then opened them to stare at a toad that had hopped onto a significantly large boulder. A cerulean hue saturated the outer fringes of her body as she started to charge up her biotic powers. It wouldn't be long now before she could test her 'gift' from her father.

Upon her fifteenth birthday last month, she was taken to a hospital, exposed to some kind of element, and implanted with some kind of new technology. It was an experiment, for sure, and her father was bound to profit from it in some way. She didn't fully understand what had happened to her until one day when she was brushing her hair, she dropped the brush. Out of mere frustration, Serena wished that she wouldn't have to bend down and pick it up from the floor. She half-heartedly made a gesture, and to her surprise, the brush floated right into her hand. As she pondered these thoughts now, she was about to try and lift the boulder, but someone's hand came up from behind her to tap her on the shoulder.

Serena whirled around in fright to see Kaidan standing there. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!" she gasped.

"Me, too," he replied. "Aren't you supposed to be in history class now?"

"Aren't _you_?"

"I was, until Principal Miles excused me. I just came from a meeting with him and my parents," Kaidan explained.

"Your parents? What're they doing here?"

"Well, I was shocked, too. But it was good news, not bad news. I've got something to tell you." He walked over to an old tree stump and sat upon it. "It couldn't wait until the end of the day when we usually talk because…it's very sudden."

"You're leaving, aren't you?" Disappointment laced her voice.

"Yes, in three days. I'll be headed to Jump Zero, for Biotic Acclamation and Temperance training."

"You're leaving Earth?"

"Not for long, I hope. I've got my parents and you to come back to. I'm really excited about learning how to…how to control the…unique powers I have! This is a great opportunity!" Kaidan exclaimed.

She frowned and glanced at the mossy floor beneath her feet.

"Maybe you'd like to come with me. Do you think that your father would-"

"No way," she shook her head. "I would like to go, but I meant that there's no way that he'd pay for that."

"It's not a matter of credits, is it? I heard some major corporation is gonna be sponsoring it, so maybe the training won't be so expensive."

"It's not about cost. It's about whatever he wants…as usual," she muttered the last two words nearly under her breath.

"I'm sorry you've got a dad like that, not that mine's perfect by any means, but he and my mom were pushing for this like crazy with Principal Miles. Miles didn't want to let me go until the semester was up, but my parents said no, that this was right for me."

"So you really want to do it?" Serena gazed up at his brown eyes.

"I'm not anxious to leave here…to leave you. But I've had a dream for a while now-and doing the BAaT training will help me put my foot in the door," Kaidan's tone grew serious.

"What is this dream?"

"I'd like to join the Alliance and see what's truly out there," he motioned with his eyes up to the heavens. "Now that we can go at any time we want, practically, I'd love to have the opportunity."

She shook her head and smiled. "That makes sense. You always have trouble sitting in one place for more than ten minutes at a time."

"Maybe that has to do with the implant," Kaidan shrugged. "I'm not sure, but I look forward to finding out more about them. Do they give you migraines, too?"

"Once in a while, yeah." Serena's hand instinctively went to the back of her neck and used her nails to scratch away at the skin. "They make me itch like crazy in the morning, though."

He arose from the tree stump and and crossed over to her. "So what do you want to do when you get out of school? Do you even wanna finish it?"

"I don't know. I'm not a scholar. Maybe…" she trailed off and looked away.

"What is it? Tell me." He reached for her hand and squeezed it gently.

"Maybe I could fly one of those spaceships or something. Zooming across the galaxy in a couple of days, that does sound exciting."

"You want to be a pilot?"

"Sounds silly, I know…-"

"No way! You could do it, I know you could."

"Thanks." She let go of his hand. "Look, you'd better get back. I wanna try and see if I can focus myself on my powers."

"Why don't we try together?"

She shrugged and took a step away from him. "Maybe you might get hurt, is all," she coyly responded.

He chuckled. "Is that a challenge?"

"Let's see what you've got, Alenko. Haven't seen you try."

Canadian Air Force Recruiting Office, Toronto, Ontario

August 8th, 2174, 836h

The waiting room was not full at all, unfortunately. Longoria sighed as she looked around the room at the three other potential applicants. This was not what she had in mind for herself. She didn't want to just fly any old jets, she wanted to get herself into the cockpit of a real craft…a vessel that could break what they called "FTL" or faster than light speeds. _That_ was true power, not reaching a mach 3. But of course, her father had made a few calls and made the appointment for her here despite the fact that she had begged him to use his influence over someone with the Alliance fleet.

She replayed the conversation in her mind as she picked up an application data pad and started to fill it out.

"Got yourself kicked outta school again, eh?" Her father's tone was accusatory.

"Dad, school doesn't start for another two weeks. I asked to see you because I wanted to ask if I could just skip it," Serena answered truthfully.

"You can't just skip school!"

"At my age, you bet I can! Besides, I do have a plan to do something else to earn a living," she huffed.

"Well, go on, I don't have all day."

"I wanna be a pilot."

"You? A pilot?" He shook his head incredulously. "You're serious?"

"Not just any kind of pilot, Dad. I wanna go out in space."

"You wanna see the final frontier? Meet up with those…aliens?!" Russ Longoria's tone became spiteful.

"What's wrong with that?"

"Maybe you're too young to remember it, but we had a war with them not too long ago. The only good thing that came out of it was some new technology!"

"So what if I do wanna meet up with an alien? Marry one, maybe?"

"Young lady, you'd better change your tone real quick. You're speaking to your father," his voice increased by three decibels and lowered in pitch.

"So I am, and since you got pretty rich off of involving my body in those biotic experiments, you owe me," she pointed a finger at him.

"Maybe I do," he nodded and relaxed a bit. "Okay, I'll make a few calls. You gonna stay at the house tonight?"

"My hotel's two streets down from your office."

Little did Serena know that the address her father gave her over the phone was for the Canadian Air Force recruiting office. She had even debated upon setting foot inside once she realized how she'd been tricked.

"Next," the officer came out and motioned to her.

Serena thought about turning around and just forgetting all about it as she arose from her seat but suddenly got an idea. _This just might work._

_I'm sure that this guy would understand me._

Once inside the office, the recruiting officer confiscated the data pad from her and returned to his chair. "Please, Miss Longoria, sit."

"I'm not sure I want to stay for long."

"Well, you sure went through a lot to get into this office. Are you sure that you want to go?" he inquired with the raise of an eyebrow.

"I'm not in the right place. I had asked my father to speak with somebody about my joining the Alliance last night, and I thought that the address he'd given me was this place. So I filled out the application because maybe, I thought, you could help me." He shifted himself around in his chair and crossed one leg onto the other. "I'm sure that the Air Force is great and all, but, I'd rather get the hell off of this planet."

"I think I've heard of your dad, if he's the owner of Longoria Lumber," the officer nodded. "He's kind of got a ruthless rep. He drove a lot of the competition out of Ontario."

"That's him, all right," Longoria sighed.

"Well, I can certainly forward this application to them. All I have to do is say that after talking with you that you changed your mind after hearing what the Air Force is about, and that you'd rather be spreading your wings in space," he smiled. The officer set down the data pad and opened up his terminal. "Mind you, you'd have to take a number of tests, way more even than the Air Force."

"Thank you." She found herself grinning for the first time in a long time. "I really want try and get in."

"This may be a little old fashioned, but, I'm an old school sort of a guy," he cracked and pulled out a scrap of paper from a drawer. "You can tell your dad that the air force is still needing some trees. This is the recruiting office for the Alliance. It's just over a block or two from us." The officer scribbled upon the paper with a pen.

Alliance Training Academy, Lowell City, Mars

September 19th, 2174, 1241h

"You made it," a familiar voice called to Serena from across the busy commissary.

She gazed up from her tray of rather disappointing military provisions to see Kaidan Alenko waiving at her. He had grown and matured fully now, as of course had she. The Alliance t-shirt covered his chest snugly, she noticed as he made his way over to her. _Hmm…someone's been working out_.

Serena grinned and stood up to hug her friend. "Nice to see another Canuck round here," she chuckled.

"Weren't you a Maple leaf fan?"

"Nah, not in recent years. They did some pretty stupid trading last season, so I switched sides," Longoria said.

"Glad you're one of us now." He sat down across from her. "Well, I meant…that you made it to the Academy. I'd heard that you were coming, but I wasn't sure when you'd get here."

"I wasn't either, to tell you the truth. I only got the testing results two weeks ago."

"Can I ask how you did? I mean, actually, well…lots of people talk here. You were pretty high up there from how people are talking here."

"Really? I haven't even started any classes and I'm already worthy of gossip?! Not sure if I'm gonna like this place," Longoria raised an eyebrow warily.

"Hey, Serena, we're all a family here. Trust me, you'll like it."

"Not sure if I want a family."

"What about a friend?" he made eye contact with her. "I'm not so bad, am I?"

"I did miss you," she nodded. "My dad isn't the reason that I got into this place."

"Why would he be? You're smart and a hard worker."

"I asked him for his help. Well, lot of good _that_ did."

"What do you mean?" The bell rang to signify that the lunch period was over, and Serena arose from her seat.

"I'll tell you later, 'kay? I've got some biotic training this afternoon," she responded.

"Bet you probably won't need much-you're a natural."

"We'll see. Bye, Kaidan."

"Bye, Serena. Wanna meet here again for dinner?"

"Sounds good," she called as she left the commissary.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Alliance Training Academy, Lowell City, Mars

Targeting Arena, January 18th, 2175

"Smooth work, Cadet," the instructor Sgt. Tungsten nodded as she observed her nosedive throw. The knife landed itself perfectly in the dummy's stuffed throat. "You're coming along fine here."

"I oughtta be. Aren't you gonna teach me another kind of spin, or do you only know of two ways to throw a knife?" she inquired as she hopped over the three foot barricade to grab her combat knife from the dummy. The distance was at least ten yards.

"Is that the proper way to address a superior, Longoria?"

She rolled her eyes and huffed as she observed Tungsten cross her arms. "I expect an answer, Cadet."

"Come on, I was just kidding," Longoria waived her off.

"Twenty suicides. _Now_," she yelled from across the field. "From here to the target."

Longoria shook her head and obeyed. "Yes, ma'am." As she began her punishment, she noticed another instructor approach Sgt. Tungsten.

"Problems, Sergeant?" The superior's gaze shifted to Longoria.

"Just establishing some respect, Major."

"I see." The major's arms folded behind himself. "How's she doing, otherwise?"

"Out of a class of twenty, she's number one in knife-throwing. I heard that she wasn't so hot in self-defense, though," Tungsten replied.

"That's because the sensei saw lots of anger in her. She refused to be submissive...chose to attack first instead of defend. That's gonna cost her, that impatience," Major Lloyd commented. "I read that she's looking to be a pilot."

"Think she can do it?"

"Hmm…that'll be up to the admirals. But I'd rather not have her waste her combat potential, nor her biotic abilities."

"Always looking for a new Shepard, aren't you, sir?"

Lloyd scoffed at the comment. "Not in the least, Sergeant. There's only one of him, and besides, no one can measure up."

"I bet some come close," Tungsten kicked away at a dead patch of grass by her combat boots. "Special forces isn't an army of one."

"That's why I'd like to push her ahead…see what she can do."

"She's got some issues, sir. Not sure if the admirals will agree with you."

"We'll see. Tell her to keep up the good work, that I've noticed her," Major Lloyd motioned with his head towards Longoria and saluted Tungsten.

"Yes, Major, sir. Will do," the sergeant did the same and nodded.

One minute later after the major departed, Longoria ran back up to her instructor panting. She set the knife back down onto the barrier and rested herself against it. "Who was that, ma'am?" she asked.

"Major James Lloyd. He has a special forces unit and comes back here to scout occasionally. Sometimes he teaches classes, too."

She was still out of breath. "He was…watching me?"

"You've caught his attention, Cadet. That's a good thing."

She shook her head. "Not interested in special forces."

"Not everyone's cut out to be a pilot, Longoria. You haven't even started flight school yet."

"I will…in the summer semester, ma'am"

"Determination is a good thing, Cadet. But you've got to learn to follow orders."

"I know what I can do well, not some big-mouth-"

"Do I hear some more disrespect, Longoria?!"

"No, ma'am."

"That's better. Dismissed." She saluted her and headed towards the showers.

Alliance Training Academy, Lowell City, Mars

March 1st, 2175, 1700h

Ten men and two women gathered around a circular table in a situation room. They were some of the highest ranking officials in this academy, and they were here to discuss some of the potential cadets. On the agenda today was one topic, especially since it had to do with Major James Lloyd: Serena Longoria.

Lloyd strolled into the room with a short stack of data pads in his arm and was dressed in camouflage fatigues. "Thank you, Admirals," he began as he distributed the data pads around the table. "I appreciate your time."

"We are here to discuss your interest in recruiting a specific cadet," an admiral by the name of Bellini nodded her head. "Serena Longoria."

"Yes, ma'am. I've brought along her performance evaluations as well as some testing, and I'm asking for some special consideration," Lloyd sat in the only empty chair at the table.

"You'd like to recruit Cadet Longoria?"

"Yes, ma'am. Her biotic skills, knife-throwing, and infiltrating skills are very outstanding. Look how fast she made it through the Norton course! And she did that at night with the fog machines on!"

"The numbers speak for themselves, Major," Rear Admiral Steven Kovach replied. "We can see that Cadet Longoria has much to offer the Alliance. However, I see some issues with some of her psychological tests."

"Sir?" Major Lloyd inquired.

"Yes, Major. Her performance results on the team evaluation tests were quite poor. She needs to learn how to work with others, how to respect authority," Admiral Bellini answered. "We know of the trouble that Cadet Longoria has been in. Her demerits are adding up quickly."

"I realize that, Madam Admiral. I think I may know why."

"Yes, she doesn't have respect and should she continue down this destructive path, we will have no choice but to dismiss her from the program, no matter how impressive her combat results are! The Alliance, Major, cannot tolerate insubordination."

"I'm not suggesting that we do, ma'am," Major Lloyd bowed his head submissively. "If the Admirals would be so generous as to allow me to channel Cadet's Longoria's aggression; I think I may have a chance to funnel her energy into being an incredible soldier."

"Perhaps she won't follow your direction, Major," Kovach interjected. "Several instructors have mentioned that she has expressed some interest in becoming a helmsman."

"She will, sir. I don't think that she's being challenged enough, which is why she's acting out on it. She's bored, sir, and if you'll permit me, I'll turn her into the next best thing since Shepard."

The admirals glanced upon one another for approval. After what seemed like an hour, Bellini arose from her seat.

"If you're confident that you will have control, then we see no reason to deny your request, Major. But if at any time you do not feel that Cadet Longoria can handle the training or refuses to accept your authority as her commander-"

"Understood, ma'am, and thank you, Admirals, for your leap of faith. I know it's a big one." Lloyd saluted them.

"Don't let us down, Major," Rear Admiral Kovach returned the salute. "Ambition is a good thing, but don't let it stop you from using your head. This board gives you the next four months starting from today for this testing period. We will be monitoring Cadet Longoria's progress very closely but are eager to see if you can unlock her potential. Dismissed."

Cadet Female Quarters, ATA, Lowell City, Mars

March 1st, 2175, 1931h

Lloyd approached the exterior of the facility, which was an underground complex. Longoria was speaking to a male cadet, someone Lloyd didn't recognize. She was smiling quite a bit-maybe this wasn't going to be nearly as easy as he thought. This was going to be a one on one program. Perhaps she was emotionally attached to this young man. _Time to remove the distraction_, he told himself as he marched purposefully towards them.

"Ten-hut!" he called out, causing both cadets to snap to attention and freeze. When he saw that Kaidan didn't even turn around, he smirked to himself. _Just another good old fashioned Alliance cardboard cut-out. Rule following drones are for the infantry._

"At ease. Turn round and face me, Cadet," Lloyd commanded and true to his suspicions, Alenko did just so in a quick about face. "Major James Lloyd, head of the N units."

"Special Forces? Wow, sir!" Kaidan exclaimed. "Good to meet you!"

_Lay off the ass-kissing, idiot. You couldn't do any more brown-nosing than if you puckered up right here and now_, Lloyd thought.

Once Longoria saw how quickly Lloyd brought them out of attention, she crossed her arms. "Yeah, likewise, I guess," she shrugged. "Mind if I keep speaking with Kaidan, Major?"

"Serena, he's obviously got better things to do than talk to us," Kaidan whispered out of the corner of his mouth. "Might want to watch what you say."

"That's all right, young man. Cadet Longoria was being polite…to a degree."

"Cadet Kaidan Alenko, sir," the young adult saluted Lloyd.

"I already told you to be at ease, Alenko. Relax. I'm not looking for a salute every fifteen seconds, unlike the rest of your instructors."

"Finally, somebody who's here _without_ a stick up his ass," Longoria commented and rolled her eyes.

"I've only got one up mine when you've got one up yours," Lloyd's eyes narrowed and he pointed to her. "Watch your mouth."

Her tone was one of someone who was quite inconvenienced. "What do you need, sir?"

"You've been selected to be a potential candidate for the special forces, Cadet Longoria. You'll be under my tutelage for the next four months-the Alliance admirals here at the academy feel that you're not being challenged enough."

"Sir, I didn't sign up for the Special Forces. I'd like to be a pilot."

"For now, you're with me, and that requires complete obedience. If you don't like it, you can pack your bags and get your ass back to Earth, for all I care. I won't tolerate misbehavior of _any_ sort or any lip from you. You'll train with me or you won't train at all…period. Report to my office tomorrow morning at 800 hours."

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes, hit the panel behind her to open the door, and disappeared from both males' sight. Alenko sighed and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, sir. She's had a difficult childhood. Her mom died when she was really young, her dad just treated her like an object, and no one's really cared much about her during her whole life. No love at all," he apologized.

"I'm not here to be her friend, Alenko. I'll leave that to you. But I need her focused on her training, so you are not to approach her for the next three weeks. After that, if she so desires, you can keep up your fraternization. Are we clear, Cadet?"

"Perfectly, Major Lloyd, sir!" Alenko's hand jerked up to his brow again with one last salute.

ATA Combat Training Room #4, Lowell City, Mars

May 18th, 2175, 1008h

"Come at me again, I want to show you a new throw," Lloyd instructed his student. Longoria nodded and lunged forward, to which he easily avoided by side stepping.

"You missed," she stated and turned around.

"In combat, one has to adapt quickly. I didn't miss; you missed me, and now you're going to be looking for another opening…" He motioned her to do it again.

This time she came a few steps forward with a couple of jabs. He grabbed her right wrist and took her weight down with him by pulling her arm forward. She tapped the mat twice, and he released her. "You've got to learn patience, Longoria," he told her. "It's great to learn how to be on the offensive, but you've got to learn to defend yourself should you get into hand to hand situations."

"Hopefully, that won't be necessary," she arose from the mat.

"Let's see if you've learned something. I'm going to try to attack you with a knife. Do you remember this from yesterday?" He also got up and separated himself from her. "I'll do it at half speed. Is that okay, or do you want to do it in real action?"

"I can handle real time, sir."

"Good." He pulled out a rubber knife from his back pocket, held it up, and made eye contact with her. When she returned it, letting him know that she was ready, he came forward to try and slash her. She grasped his hand and locked it within her arms. Then she attempted to jerk the weapon out of his hands using her own momentum to the left, but his grip was too strong. She grunted in frustration and tried to do the same thing, but he didn't let go. "What am I…ugh…"

"First of all, you should be trying to use my weight against me. You're about half my size and since I'm a man, there's no possible way for you to be able to rip the knife out of my hands, especially while your back is to me. Now, if you'd been charging up your biotics, this story might have ended differently. However, this is where we are," Lloyd informed her. "And besides, sometimes using biotics is cheating."

"Then why bother to teach me this?"

"Sometimes you don't have enough time to use them, even for a quick bout like this. Now, let's try this again. Remember, once your back is to me, trap my hand in between your arms like you were doing. Then turn around and twist my arm backward while ducking underneath the blade. Remember, once you have my weapon wielding arm down, you have the advantage."

"Right. Let's do this again." Longoria distanced herself from him once more and this time prepared herself to win. She mentally went through the moves as he went to the other side of the mat. "I'm ready."

Lloyd again made the same kind of slashing attack, and she skillfully trapped his hand again between her arms. This time, however, she did as he had instructed her, but once she had his arm twisted downward, she quickly charged up her biotics and threw the both of them to the mat. As she heard him make a sharp exhale and tap the mat several times, she knew she had him. "What did I say about biotics?" he growled.

"Well, I just couldn't remember what to do next, so I improvised."

"We're doing this so that you _won't_ have to use them, Cadet." Lloyd sighed. He felt her about to get off of him, but he shook his head. "Wait a minute. Let's try something else since we're down here."

"What?"

"Let's say that your opponent drops his knife in the scuffle after you've gotten him to the ground. He might fight back even here before you have a chance to charge up again. I'm going to do this in real time so you can understand what can happen."

"Fine."

Lloyd let go of the knife and used his right hand to propel himself forward slightly. He then rocked backward and flipped the both of them so that she was on her back now and he had the advantage. "See how quickly that happened?" he inquired and made eye contact with her.

Longoria's cool azure eyes met his. "Yeah."

"Now," he began and got onto his knees. He stopped himself in thought as his eyes left hers and connected with the rest of her body. She was a very attractive young lady, and the workout clothes that she was wearing hugged themselves against her skin tightly.

"You were saying, sir?" she asked innocently.

"Uh…I was…uh…" he licked his lips nervously as he tried to collect his thoughts. "Sorry, Longoria, I…"

She caught where he had been gazing and gave him a half-smile. "Could I use this to my advantage, too, sir?"

"Oh, definitely," he nodded.

"Special Forces, my ass. Men are men."

_Protocol be damned, she's hot._

Lloyd leaned forward and took advantage of his position right to her lips. He increased his passion as she responded to him. "Don't need to teach you this-you know what you're doing. Serena, you've had a boy kiss you. Let me show you what a man would do."

"That's some training I think I might actually like."

ATA Commissary, Lowell City, Mars

May 24th, 2175, 1307h

"Hey, I'm glad I found you here," Kaidan said as he came with a tray to join her. "I haven't seen you in a long while."

Longoria didn't respond to him at first; her eyes were deeply concentrated in a message on a data pad that she was holding. It wasn't until he put a hand her forearm that she even noticed that he was there. She nearly jumped and took a deep breath. "Sorry, Kaidan. I was just checking my email on the extranet," she apologized. "Haven't had as much free time as I'd like recently."

"No kidding. Major Lloyd's been attached to you like a virus," he joked and went back to his food. "How's life?"

Longoria sighed angrily. "It was fine until I checked my account just a minute ago."

"Why, what happened?" he pressed and started to shovel some of the food into his mouth.

"Well, my dad found out somehow about what I did, you know, with that Canadian Air Force recruiter. Naturally, that pissed him off, and now he wants to see me to talk about it."

"Are you going to write back to him?" he asked in between bites.

"No, sorry, let me clarify. He wants me to come back home and talk about it," she shook her head.

"Right now?"

"Pretty much. He says that he knows _exactly_ where I am, but I kind of doubt it. He just likes to bluff to intimidate me, but that's not gonna happen now."

"You sure? Your father doesn't sound like a stupid guy." He made eye contact with her as he chewed his next bite.

"He isn't, but I know him. He's done this before with business deals, too. Tactic number one of the Longoria Lumber strategy: talk big and carry brass balls."

Kaidan was glad that he had just finished taking a drink of water; he nearly choked on it as he laughed. Then he sobered up rather quickly as he thought for a moment. "What're you going to do about it?"

"Nothing," she shrugged. "I'm nearly halfway through with Major Lloyd-why should I stop now?"

"Do you like him?"

"Lloyd? Yeah, I guess. He doesn't make me call him sir every two minutes, that's for sure."

"Did you know that he asked me not to bother you?"

"I thought that that was just for the first couple of weeks. He'd mentioned that to me so that I'd keep my focus or whatever."

"Yeah, but, he came to me again a couple of days ago," Kaidan looked directly at her eyes. "Is there something going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why would he tell me _not_ to see you outside of your training?"

"I don't know," she shook her head. "But he doesn't own me. I'm glad that you're here. You should come see me after lights out."

"Wow, Serena. I'm not sure that I should do that," Kaidan disagreed. "Alliance regs are there for a reason."

"What is this, the 20th century? Come on. Or would you rather that I visit you?"

"What if we get caught? That's a twelve demerit violation," he lowered his voice in volume.

"I don't care. I want to see you and since Major Lloyd is forbidding you to speak or even interact with me, this is the only way." She paused for a moment when his expression turned to irritation. "Don't you want to see me, outside of this place? What if Lloyd walks in right now and tells you to leave me alone?"

"I'd probably say 'yes sir' and do it."

"Aw, come on, Kaidan. Don't you like me?"

"Of course I do, Serena…"

"Then why don't you act like it?!" She could see that egging him on was definitely causing him to clench up his teeth as he was considering what he was going to say.

"All right," he finally relented. "Tonight?"

Longoria beamed widely and nodded. "After lights out. I've got a bottom bunk, and my roommates all sleep pretty heavily. Wish it could be two of us to a room instead of four-causes all Hell to break loose in the morning when we all wake up at the same time."

"How long should I wait?"

"Two of the girls fall asleep even before lights out usually. The other one sits up and reads for a while. She's my bunkmate. But she's good; she wouldn't rat us out if she saw you."

"You sure?"

"Let's put it this way, Alenko. I've seen her bunk empty quite a few nights of the week, and I've kept my trap shut. She'd do the same for me."

"I'm looking forward to it, Serena," he smiled and picked up his tray to leave.

*A/N*-There is not an Alliance training academy on Mars so far as I know, but I figured that since the Alliance was starting to establish itself in space, that it would make total sense for them to have something on Mars besides the Prothean Archives. This novel was originally written about a year and a half ago...I'm just revisiting it now and making a few improvements. Don't let the keywords fool you. Kaidan is in a lot of this story, but he is NOT the protagonist. So if you're not a fan, apologies and bear with me. If you do like him, I hope you all enjoy. Incidentally, there are two characters that are introduced in this story a bit later on who make later appearances in another one of my stories, which is called "Cultivation". One is just more prominent than the other, and I won't spoil who it is for those of you who are indeed curious.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Cadet Female Quarters, ATA, Lowell City, Mars

May 24th, 2175, 2339h

"Psst…" Serena gestured to Alenko that the coast was clear as he made his way into her room. He cautiously darted his head around the corner as he crept in, and she yanked him inside by the arm. "Hurry up, silly," she whispered and led him towards her bed.

"Don't you have a chair in here or something?" he wondered as she pulled him onto the bottom bunk.

"It'd made too much noise if I used my biotics," she pointed her head to the other side of the room.

"Well, I can go pick it up the old fashioned way." Kaidan was about to get up from the bed when she yanked upon his arm again.

"I don't want you sitting across from me like some psychotherapist. I want you with me here," she gave him a harsh whisper.

He swallowed nervously as she pulled him even closer. "You sure about this?"

"Shut up and kiss me, Alenko." She seized him by the back of the neck and crushed her lips to his. He responded warmly and tried to be as gentle as possible, but she was being rather aggressive…adventurous.

Kaidan liked it-she wasn't some little high schooler anymore. She was a woman; she made him feel needed. And he needed her.

He felt her encouraging him to go on; he didn't want to move too fast. She was special, and besides, he wasn't sure how far he wanted to take their relationship. Kaidan's arm moved to the back of her neck now, and he pressed himself into her to increase their contact. In doing so, he realized that she wasn't wearing anything under her t-shirt. His hormones were blazing into overdrive.

"Sorry to interrupt this little scene," a voice called from across the room and switched on the lights.

Kaidan immediately jumped off of Serena and turned around. He was expecting to receive a scolding and a chastising as well as perhaps some demerits from whoever this was, but…

Two human men dressed in battle suits with a blue circular logo walked into the room. Serena was thankful that she at least had thought to wear some shorts just in case they were interrupted somehow. But she didn't expect this at all. The other roommates froze in their bunks.

"We're here to take you to your father, kid," one of them pointed to Longoria. He had a shaved head and a goatee. The other man wore a helmet with no mouth guard. "He hired us to make sure that you got out safely."

"Safely? What, does he think I'm a hostage here?" she demanded and sat up in the bunk. "I _want_ to be here right where I am."

"All right, fine. Then let's make this more clear. Your father hired us to bring you back to where you belong, on Earth," the one with the helmet announced.

"I _belong_ right here, and I don't care who sent you." Her arms crossed in front of her as she stood up.

"This ain't a request, girl. Your dad just wants to talk," the goatee man's tone increased in volume.

"And I don't wanna see him. He can shove it." She reached for the biotic amp on her night stand and put it on.

"Maybe you aren't understanding us. You _will_ come with us; our boss won't take no for an answer," the other man replied. "We're trying to do this quietly and peacefully so that we won't have to hurt you."

"You, hurt me? Gimme a break."

"One more chance, girl. There's another two men to this squad just waiting outside for my orders," the shaven headed man tried. "Don't make this complicated." He removed his shotgun from his back.

"Serena, you should at least go with them back to their ship," Kaidan told her.

"For a merc, you talk too much," Longoria's eyes narrowed. She remembered that she'd put a pistol underneath her pillow; she wasn't sure why she'd done it but was soon thinking that she wouldn't regret that earlier decision. "And I'm not going anywhere."

Before anyone could get in another word, she threw the mercenaries across the hall into the bathroom. "Backup!" the man with the helmet shouted into his radio.

"Damnit, Serena!" Kaidan yelled at her as she picked up the pistol. "Where'd you get that, the firing range?"

"No, I went to the Citadel this afternoon," Longoria retorted. "You gonna help me or just stand there like a moron?"

"Of course I will! I just…-" She shoved the pistol into his hands and took out a pair of knives that were in the drawer.

"You wearing your omni-tool?" she asked as they walked across the hall.

"I usually take it off before I go to bed, so, yeah."

"Good. That'll help. I heard them call for backup, so the other two idiots are bound to show up soon. Watch my back."

"Okay, just be careful," Kaidan called and hugged himself against the outside wall of her quarters.

Longoria took a look at the two mercenaries and pressed herself against the outside wall to the bathroom. "You think you can take us?" one of them shouted. She heard him start to charge up his shotgun while the other was possibly taking out his own weapon. She decided to chance it, took a step around the entrance, and threw the knife directly into the goateed man's neck. He choked and fell to the ground while the other one let off a few rounds from his heavy pistol. Longoria retreated safely away behind the wall; however, two rounds came close to her back. The wall wasn't quite cement, but thankfully, the material wasn't drywall or else she'd bleeding on the floor.

She tried to count to herself how many shots he'd fired but couldn't remember. Now he was waiting for her-how many shots did he have left? It would only take a good one, and they were professional killers. She was still in training. "You'd better come with us if you wanna live!" the man shouted at the top of his lungs.

The gunfire had naturally caused everyone else to wake up by now, and dozens of heads started to pop out into the hallway.

"Shit, Serena, the backup's coming down the hall!" Kaidan yelled, threw a biotic field at one of them and fired his pistol twice. He missed with the first shot but lined up his second perfectly into the Batarian merc's head. Unfortunately, the mercenary was carrying an assault rifle and turned on his protective suit of armor.

Kaidan ducked behind a plant, quickly charged up his omni-tool, and hit the Batarian with his overload. The other warrior was a Turian, who wore a helmet and was also carrying an assault rifle. He let a spray of bullets loose down the corridor, which destroyed the plant pot and left Alenko exposed. "Could use a little help here, Serena!" he exclaimed.

"No sweat, just gimme a minute!" she shouted back and prepared herself for her second knife throw by looking around the corner again. Naturally, the mercenary had been waiting for her and fired his next few rounds. He missed her head by a half a foot and cursed at himself as he waited for the gun to cool down . Longoria took the opportunity, rolled forward into the room, and tossed her twin knife into his helmet while he was distracted. The projectile stunned him backward, giving her enough time to grab the other knife out of his dead partner, and jam it into his chest plate. He cried out in pain as the knife made contact with his skin, and she whirled around to shove it in as far as she could go.

He staggered into a mirror, and the impact of his armor caused it to crack. "Please…I give up..." He began to speak and let go of the pistol. Longoria seized the knife that was in his helmet, jerked it out, and slashed it against his unprotected neck. A giant spray of blood gushed out from the artery onto her shirt. She quickly retrieved his pistol, loaded it with a clip, and hurried to go help Alenko.

"I'm out, Serena!" he yelled. He'd managed to take out the batarian's shield entirely and throw him back a couple of times, but the turian pressed forward with more gunfire.

By the time Longoria was about to enter the hallway, she noticed that Kaidan had retreated back to her room. "You hurt?" she inquired.

"Can't talk now," he screamed back.

Longoria double checked the confiscated merc pistol and fired several rounds from it. She nailed the turian twice in the helmet, and Kaidan came from around his own corner to hit the alien with a biotic field. Slowly, the turian started to float into the air, and Serena fired off two more rounds into his chest.

Meanwhile, the batarian had recovered and began to return fire with his assault rifle as well. Both humans retreated for the moment. As the turian floated back down to the ground, he stumbled back onto his feet wearily. When the batarian's rifle began to overheat, Longoria pulled him down the corridor, and Kaidan hit the turian with one last throw. She fired the remaining bullets she had into the batarian's body, and Kaidan let a biotic kick fly into his jaw. Both mercenaries' bodies slumped down to the floor.

Sgt. Tungsten came running down the corridor with a sub-machine pistol in her hand and assessed the situation. "What in God's name just happened here?" she shouted at Longoria. "And you, you'd better get back to the male quarters before I hit your ass with demerits!" She directed her anger at Alenko, who took off with no time to lose.

"I don't know who these guys were, but they just got in here and started to attack me," Longoria said and wiped her sweaty forehead with a bloody hand.

"Are you hurt, Cadet?" Tungsten motioned to her hand, and Longoria glanced at it.

"No, Sarge. It's just from the others in the bathroom."

"Others? How many of them were there?!"

"Just two, thankfully." Tungsten hurried into the bathroom and examined the corpses. "Blue Suns, no doubt about it," she muttered to herself. "You say that they just attacked you and Cadet Alenko?"

"They were going to try and take me back to Earth to my father. I didn't want to go, so they responded with force."

"All right. Do you think you'll be able to get back to sleep? We'll have to investigate this tomorrow."

"Yes, ma'am. My training with Major Lloyd starts at eight hundred hours tomorrow morning. Should I still report to him then?"

"Yes, for now. I'll notify you when the Admirals are ready to hear your testimony."

"Testimony? What is this, a trial?"

"It is an informal questioning that proceeds after an investigation. Standard Alliance procedure-you'll learn this soon."

Simulation/War Room, ATA, Lowell City, Mars

May 25th, 2175, 1527h

Three admirals sat behind a table that was tiered above the entrance. Anyone who came in was automatically five feet below them. Longoria eyed them as she was called into the room by Sgt. Tungsten not fifteen seconds ago. "Cadet Serena Longoria, before we begin, understand that this is _not_ a trial, this is simply a hearing. We are attempting to determine what occurred last evening at approximately 2345," Admiral Bellini stated.

"Why hold such a formal proceeding if it's not so 'formal'?" Longoria inquired.

"This is the military, Cadet. Procedures are adhered and kept. Period," Rear Admiral Kovach admonished her. "Everything that is said here is being recorded so as not to miss out upon the slightest detail." He motioned her attention to a man that was typing furiously at a terminal below them.

"This is your chance to recount the details to us. Please be as honest and candid with us as possible. I should not need to remind you of whom you are speaking with," the third admiral spoke, who was also a man.

"Is this going to be a game of twenty questions, or do you just want me to start?" Longoria rolled her eyes.

"You will show respect to us now!" Kovach slammed his fist onto the table. "Continue upon this path, and your future with the Alliance will be but a memory that ends today!"

"Apologies, sirs, ma'am."

"Good. This council believes that you have great things to offer the Alliance, Cadet Longoria, which is why we permitted Major Lloyd to train you for the special forces. Should you make it through the final two months, you will be given your choice to continue that training, or perhaps enter the flight school. That was your original desire, was it not?" Bellini questioned her.

"Yes, Madam Admiral, it was, and it still is. I've so far enjoyed my special forces training with the major, but I'd still really like to try and see if I can fly," Longoria admitted.

"Understood. Now, you may tell us what precisely occurred last night, starting at approximately 2345 hours," the third admiral said.

"I was with Cadet Kaidan Alenko last night in my room."

"You are aware of the Alliance's fraternization policies, are you not, Cadet?" Kovach demanded.

"Yes, sir. I don't regret my decision to ask Cadet Alenko to join me because of what happened next," Longoria continued. "My father Russell Longoria owns Longoria Lumber, a company in Toronto, and he's basically treated me like a piece of property ever since I've been born. He sent me a message yesterday requiring my immediate presence back in Toronto."

"Why would he do such a thing?" Bellini wondered.

"Because he wanted me to enlist with the Canadian Air Force, and I did not. Instead, I enlisted with the Alliance because I'd rather be out here in space."

"Every person deserves a free choice to do what he or she would like to do for a living," Kovach agreed. "You're an adult."

"Exactly my thoughts, admirals. He sent those mercs as instruments of his own will-they had been ordered to take me back to Earth whether I wanted to go or not."

"What happened next?" the third admiral inquired.

"The situation escalated to violence, Madam and Sir Admirals. It could not be helped; I acted in defense."

"And Cadet Alenko assisted you?" Bellini pressed.

"I gave him a pistol that I'd found. We took out the team when it was clear that they wouldn't stop attacking us."

"Where did you find this pistol?" Kovach asked.

"One of the mercs dropped it, and I was able to pull it towards me using my biotics."

"And two of these Blue Suns' mercenaries perished from knife wounds. Is that accurate?" the third admiral wondered.

"Yes, sir. Those were also acts of defense when they fired upon us," Longoria lied.

"Did the conflict begin in your quarters or in the bathroom? Those two bodies were found there," Kovach asked.

"It began in my quarters and intensified from there into the bathroom. Then it ended in the corridor."

"Thank you for your testimony, Cadet Longoria, you are dismissed," Bellini commented. "Sgt. Tungsten? You may call Cadet Alenko in here now."

The female instructor did as ordered, and Longoria gave a hopeful gaze to Alenko. He gave her a cursory smile but did not embrace her as she'd hoped as they parted ways. After the door shut, the male typist began once more to strike the holographic keys at a rapid pace.

"Cadet Alenko, did Sgt. Tungsten inform you of the nature of this hearing?" Bellini began.

"Yes, Madam Admiral, she did. I'm prepared to give you my testimony now," Alenko agreed. "I also want to apologize for my actions last night…for breaking an Alliance policy. It won't happen again."

"That will be dealt with later, Cadet. Four men lost their lives in this training facility; we must report why that happened to the Alliance headquarters," Kovach replied. "Tell us what happened last night, at approximately 2345 hours."

"Understood, sir. I was visiting Cadet Longoria in her quarters, and those mercenaries just showed up. I think they were sent by her father to bring her back to Earth…against her will."

"I see. Was the matter approached with violence or diplomacy?" the third admiral demanded.

"Diplomacy at first, sir. Then Cadet Longoria stated that she had no intention of accompanying them back to Earth. That's when the trouble started."

"Who fired off the first shot?" Bellini inquired.

"Well, the fight didn't start with guns, actually, Madam Admiral. Cadet Longoria used her biotic powers to defend herself after one of the mercs pulled out his shotgun," Alenko answered truthfully.

"So he was indeed preparing to use the shotgun but did not fire first?" The third admiral wondered.

"Correct, sir. Cadet Longoria defended herself and then went after them. I stayed behind to watch her back," Alenko recalled.

"Cadet Longoria testified that she gave you a pistol. Apparently, it came from one of the Blue Suns. Is this true?" Kovach pressed.

"Uh, no, sir. She gave me one that had been under her pillow. Said she forgot to return it to the firing range from yesterday afternoon," the trainee scratched the back of his head nervously.

The men made eye contact with Bellini, who nodded noncommittally. "Then you two defended yourselves against the mercenaries. The two men whom Longoria killed, were they killed with combat knives?"

"I believe so, yes, ma'am. I did not witness what actually happened; I was busy myself with the other two mercs."

"We have one witness who heard one of the Blue Suns soldiers beg for mercy from the next room. This witness did not actually see the soldier nor did he witness Cadet Longoria's reaction to the plea, but we would like to know if you heard this as well," Kovach stated.

"No sir, I did not," Alenko shook his head.

"After you two defended yourselves against the other two soldiers, Sgt. Tungsten arrived on the scene. Is this true, or is there any more to your testimony?" Bellini wondered.

"Yes, Admirals, this is true. There was no way for us to not spare the mercenaries."

"Thank you, Cadet Alenko, you are hereby discharged from this hearing."

"Ma'am, may I add something, please?"

"This isn't a trial. You are free to do so," Kovach nodded a yes.

"Cadet Longoria does not have a good relationship with her father. He uses her like she's some piece of equipment at one of his factories."

"Duly noted, Alenko. Dismissed."

Alenko saluted them and left the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Longoria Lumber, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

May 27th, 2175, 1748h

"Unacceptable," Russell Longoria arose from his chair as he spoke with his contact in the Blue Suns. "You sent four men to do the job, and they all died?"

"Apparently, I didn't send my _best_ men," Commander Vido Santiago returned. "I'm prepared to refund your credits back to you, despite the fact that I lost four good men."

"No. I knew the risks going into the deal. I'm not giving up so easily," Longoria shook his head. "My daughter's clever and resourceful."

"Perhaps there's something else I can offer you in exchange for perhaps the sum of two thousand more credits. The only reason for the price is because I won't be taking a cut from it. This'll go through my channels and not be connected to you at all, Mr. Longoria." Santiago inhaled from his cigar deeply.

"No one is to lay a hand on her head, are we understood? My daughter is all I've got left from my marriage, and my wife has already been taken from me!" He turned away for a moment to ponder Santiago's statement. "What do you suggest?"

"If I'm understanding the situation correctly, you would like for your daughter to have a reason to come back to Earth-a legitimate one, of course. Buying off friendship won't work, but perhaps buying someone's help from inside will."

"I'm listening." Longoria leaned against the back of his chair.

"A lot of people are desperate for money these days. Alliance cadets are allowed some time off in the city. Occasionally, we recruit some drop-outs or promising soldiers who are sick of red tape. We might be able to find someone to set up your daughter for expulsion."

"And just how would that happen?"

"Maybe it's best not to describe all of the details just in case it comes back later to bite you in the ass, Mr. Longoria," Santiago replied and put the cigar back into his mouth. "But if there's a will, there's a way. And 2,000 credits can definitely make a way."

"Consider this deal done, no further questions asked."

"Pleasure as always, Mr. Longoria."

Officer Quarters, ATA, Lowell City, Mars

May 29th, 2175, 2042h

Serena picked up a snow globe with a model of the Empire State building and shook it around from Lloyd's desk as she waited for him to return. As she watched the artificial snow fall and cover the building, she remembered a visit that she had visiting New York City when she was twelve. It was before she'd been sent away to that horrible boarding school in Vancouver. Before she could muse too much more over the trip, Lloyd opened the door quickly and shut it for privacy.

"Sorry about that. Politics in the Alliance are a bitch," he sighed and rolled his eyes. As he leaned forward to try and kiss her, she avoided him and sat in the chair across from the bureau.

"You wanted to see me, Major?" she inquired.

"I did, and I just wanted to let you know that I heard about what happened to you. I'm sorry that your father's such a jerk-off-glad you came out of the deal without a scratch. Means that your training's finally paying off," he chuckled.

"Maybe. Something else you want?"

"Your candidness has always impressed me from the get-go, Serena." He closed in the distance in between them. "So I'll be the same with you-I'm sure you'd consider it an insult if I beat around the bush."

"What do you mean?"

"I've never thought that it'd happen to me. That I'd find a student to match my intellect, my combat skills, that could catch on so quickly that one day she'd probably kick my ass if given the chance," Lloyd leaned forward. "Age doesn't matter to me."

"And what about your so-called fraternization rules? I bet there are some for the officers, too, right?" Longoria asked.

"Those are there for idiots who can't separate missions and pleasure. Lucky for you, I can." His lips were about to touch hers until she pushed him away. "What's wrong with you? You weren't complaining last week or even one day ago!"

"That was until I realized that you don't love me. You're just using me like my father uses me. I'm nothing more than a tool to you!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Serena."

"Then tell me I'm wrong. Tell me that you want me to go to flight training school. Tell me that you want me to be with Kaidan. Tell me something more personal about yourself other than you like cats better than dogs!" she raised her voice and arose from her chair.

"Walk out that door right now, young lady, and you'll be sorry."

"_That _does it. I'm telling everyone what a huge prick you are, and that you deserve to be thrown out of the academy for how you treat your students!"

"Your word against mine, Cadet. Guess whose reputation is more valuable? Guess who they'll trust-some little hot-headed bitch or a decorated officer that trained Shepard himself?!" She slammed the door on her way out.

Simulation/War Room, ATA, Lowell City, Mars

June 1st, 2175, 1116h

"Cadet Serena Longoria, this board has gathered to meet with you one last time so that you may explain your actions that occurred two nights ago, upon the night of May 30th," Rear Admiral Kovach stated.

The same three admirals that were at the Blue Suns' investigation were all present, along with Sgt. Tungsten and Major Lloyd. The two officers subservient to the admirals stood at ease a few feet behind Longoria ready to speak when approached. As soon as she had walked inside, she tried to read both of her instructors' expressions. Tungsten's face remained neutral, but Lloyd's eyes narrowed and his lips were pressed together in a sneer. _He'll be out for blood if I even dare to talk about what happened three nights ago_, she thought.

"Admirals, at twenty-two hundred hours, I finished my evening jog and was doing my cool-down of my workout when I remembered that I had forgotten to sign-out for my combat knives again. I entered the complex with intentions to report to the armory," she began.

"Yes, two people testified that they saw you enter the complex at 2204 hours," Bellini agreed. "What caused you to not enter the armory and complete your actions?"

"I saw someone else try to sneak by me down the hallway from where the academy's records room was. I didn't see his face at first, it wasn't lit very well where I caught a glimpse of him…-"

"And then what happened?" Kovach inquired.

"I followed him down the corridor. He didn't see me; I managed to stay in the shadows. It wasn't until he went inside and started to touch the computer terminals inside that I had some kind of idea of what he was doing, Admirals," Longoria replied.

"What precisely was he doing?" the third admiral asked.

"Obviously nothing good, sir. I was trying to decide as I watched him break into the room if I should report this or just simply try to stop him myself. I figured that it was going to be pointless to jog back down to the officers' quarters because by the time I got back with someone that the damage would already be done."

"But it was done, Cadet. And your files were definitely accessed," Bellini interrupted her. "Your fingerprints were lifted on that electronic touch-screen panel."

"Only because I was trying to get in, ma'am," Longoria defended herself.

"No one else saw anyone else enter the complex but you," Kovach informed her.

"What about prints elsewhere? Did you find them inside the records' room?" Longoria inquired.

"Holographic interfaces cannot provide them, no. We have security footage of you trying to enter that room," the third admiral stated.

"You're telling me that even those things didn't pick up the real culprit? We're supposed to have the best money that technology can buy here! There aren't any cameras inside the room?"

"There were, but those were disabled, most likely with an omni-tool as the suspect entered the room," Bellini answered. "As I said before, your records were accessed and various files were either removed or altered…to enhance your reputation here. Electronics technology, as good or helpful as it is, cannot replace human memory, Cadet Longoria."

"Yes, ma'am. What, may I ask, was changed?"

"You know damn well what you did!" Major Lloyd suddenly cut in. "Cut the act! You aren't gonna win an Oscar for it!"

"Major, you will speak when spoken to!" Kovach yelled. "Your comments are not welcome yet!"

"Well, I guess there's no point in going on with this bullshit, then," Longoria shrugged. "You seem to have made up your minds already."

"We do not do this lightly, Cadet. We have been weighing in on our decision all this time with your testimony thus far," Bellini declared. "Sgt. Tungsten, you are a valued combat instructor and you were the one who caught Cadet Longoria sneaking back in after lights out. Please tell us what happened."

Tungsten stepped forward. "I'm afraid I don't have much to add to that, Admirals. It was after 2300 hours that I saw Cadet Longoria come back to the female cadet quarters. She was distressed at the time; I'm not sure if it was because she was caught or for some other reason."

"Major Lloyd, since you've been training Cadet Longoria closely for nearly the past three months, your testimony is now pertinent to this trial. Would you have any doubts in your mind regarding her guilt or innocence?" Kovach questioned him.

"Cadet Longoria's very opportunistic and ambitious. She's completely disrespectful and rebellious. I had many difficult times establishing my authority over her," Lloyd frowned.

_Yeah, especially when you tried to get into my pants._

"There is one more thing to investigate," the third admiral announced. "We have a dead cadet who was found with deep stab wounds in his abdomen and finally, his stomach. This said combat knife that most likely caused his death was found underneath your pillow this morning by Sgt. Tungsten. Witnesses outside the complex saw the two of you struggling. Only you were the survivor, and you returned shortly thereafter to your quarters. Too bad you didn't return that knife, Longoria."

"What say you to this, Cadet?" Bellini wondered.

Longoria shook her head. "I killed him in self defense-he attacked me first when I confronted him."

"We find that difficult to believe, given your actions on the night that the Blue Suns infiltrated the Academy," Kovach replied. "Cadet Alenko's testimony differed from yours as did many others. You lied to us about that pistol as did you then about killing one of those mercenaries deliberately. Unfortunately, the Alliance will not tolerate such disobedience and dishonor. To kill someone who is defenseless is not an action of an Alliance soldier. We value life of all kinds as well as the act of mercy. You did not show mercy either time."

"Fine. Gimme my discharge papers now, why don't ya? I've heard enough, and it's obvious as plain as day that you won't listen to me anymore," Longoria spat. "To hell with you all." She stormed out of the room and left the building.

As she packed her things into her bags, her roommates stared at her with wonder. "Well, guess you'll all be _thrilled_ to get rid of me, won't you?" None of them answered her and avoided getting in her way as she exited the quarters.

Longoria made her way towards the male quarters. "Just where do you think you're going, Cadet?" a superior officer asked.

"Oh, didn't ya hear? I'm a civilian now, which means I can pretty much fucking _go _wherever I want," Longoria bitterly said. She shoved her way past him into the dormitories and headed downstairs to find Kaidan.

He was there on his bunk cleaning his pistol when she entered. "So it _is_ true," he glanced upward at her and shook his head. "Did they say when you had to be outta here?"

"How could you actually believe that I did this?" Longoria dropped the bags and came closer.

"If the Admirals found you guilty, then that's what happened," Kaidan coldly responded. "The Alliance always treats everyone fairly."

"You are _so_ wrong…so goody two-shoes that you can't see what _really_ happened. I was framed, set up…probably by my father, but I can't prove it," she trailed off.

"I don't have anything more to say to you, Serena. I stood up for you last week, I even told the Admirals a lie…that you had forgotten to put back that pistol from the shooting range! And you repay them by trying to clear your records and even killing the guy that caught you…you're not who I thought you are."

Longoria's jaw clenched itself firmly shut, and she picked up her bags. "Guess it's no good saying that I'd miss you, then…or to keep in touch."

Alenko got up from his bunk, turned his back on her, and exited the room without another word.

Outside the ATA, Lowell City, Mars

June 1st, 2175, 1203h

Longoria heaved her bags onto the transport shuttle that went to the metropolitan city. She was tempted to use her biotic powers to help, but human biotics were still greatly feared. Many normal humans were prejudiced against them, and she didn't need any more drama to add to the day.

The shuttle had three other travelers in it; one Blue Suns mercenary, one normal civilian in formal wear, and one turian garbed from head to toe in armor. The civilian approached her and helped to scoot one of the bags into a storage compartment next to the seats. "Thanks," she told him.

"You're most welcome. You going home on furlough for a while?"

"No…I'm not sure where I'm gonna go." Longoria sat down and glanced out the window as the shuttle began to take off. The man sat down next to her while the turian and mercenary sat farther away near the back of the transport.

"Quitting the Alliance? Get sick of all the political BS?" he asked.

"No, I got kicked out. It's probably for the best anyway. I wasn't cut out to be a cardboard yes ma'am/yes sir soldier."

"Was it a fair hearing, at least?"

"Not unless you call being set up and whitewashed fair," she gave him a spiteful glare.

"Hmm…I definitely would not. Those tight-assed admirals are too caught up in policies to ever see or acknowledge what works in a real world situation."

"Yeah. Stupid sons of bitches."

"What'd you have in mind for yourself when you joined up with the Alliance?"

"I wanted to see the galaxy and do some good. Little did I know that it came with a price tag," Longoria rolled her eyes.

"Well, nothing's for free, but those are some good goals. Do you think that you may still be interested in doing so? I can help you," he smiled and crossed one leg over the other. As he did so, she saw his suit coat part open a bit and reveal a black and yellow logo that looked like the capital letter C on his chest.

"How so?"

"I work for a branch outside of the Alliance. Our channels aren't nearly so narrow-minded, and we welcome all humans. If you had no trouble getting into the Academy, you'll have none at all if you join us."

"Really? Do you have a flight school?" Longoria's face brightened slightly.

"That and the finest ships you'll ever see. We've got an office downtown if you'd like to sign up…or just see what we're all about."

"What kind of organization are we talking about here?"

"We represent humanity, where the Alliance is still kind of iffy. They play nice with aliens but don't always want to and usually end up paying stupidly for their acts of diplomacy. We get things done and aren't afraid of any political blowback."

"I noticed the symbol on your uniform. What's it mean?" she pointed to his logo.

"You'll see when we get to the office." He lowered his voice in volume. "I don't want to say any more here."

"Can I at least ask you who you are?"

"Name's Rawlings," he responded and shook her hand.

"Do you live here in Lowell City?"

"When it's convenient, yes."

"Do you know who I am?"

Rawlings said nothing but gave her a grin and tapped her on the shoulder. "Next stop is ours," he told her and got up.

Cerberus Recruitment Office, Lowell City, Mars

June 1st, 2175 1349h

Rawlings held the door open for her as they walked inside and even assisted her with her bags again. The lobby looked like something from a movie-the walls were made of marble, the doors were gold, and the cathedral ceiling made the place echo like a great hall. Every footstep she or Rawlings made reverberated throughout the whole place.

"This place is unbelievable," she remarked as she gawked around the establishment. "Are these the main headquarters?"

"No. But we like to impress our financial supporters-they do come through here occasionally and like to see how their money is being spent. If it looks pretty on the outside, we tell them, imagine what the rest of the operation is like," Rawlings answered her.

As they passed a reception desk, Longoria overheard a partial conversation between the PBX operator and a potential client. "Welcome to the Milky Way Foundation, how may I direct your call?" the man inquired into his omni-tool. "Yes, sir, I'll put you through to Ms. Lawson immediately. Thank you for your support." She turned to face her escort, and they stopped their journey briefly.

"So, back on the transport, when I asked you if you knew who I was, you didn't answer me," Longoria prodded. "We can speak freely here, right?"

"Yes. You want to know how Cerberus knows about you, Serena Longoria."

"Cerberus? That's what that "C" stands for," she nodded. "So what do you know?"

"We know about your father and the kind of business he runs. We know about the people he deals with-the good, bad, and the ugly."

"You came out specifically to the Academy for me?"

Rawlings gave her another smile and ushered her into an elevator. He pressed a button and down they went. "We're always looking for new talent, Serena. And luckily for us, this was the day that the Alliance gave you the boot. We knew it was coming soon but had no actual idea as to the day…"

"Honestly, this is a little creepy."

"What if I told you that Cerberus can help you find out how your father got you kicked out and promised to help you deal with it in any way possible?"

"I'd say that it was too good to be true," she eyed him carefully.

"You'd be a fool if you immediately had said yes, Serena. That's why Cerberus needs a shrewd woman like you."

"Don't stroke my ego any more than it deserves, Rawlings. I'm here to see what you've got. If I don't like it, I'm outta here."

"Give me two hours and if you still feel 'spooked' or 'creeped out' about us, I'll personally pay for your ticket to go anywhere else you'd like off of this planet. Do we have a deal?"

"You've got it."

*A/N*-I know that I'm taking an artistic liberty here with how Cerberus does their recruiting, but I figure that every single operative works differently to sow their seeds, so to speak. For those of you who might be wondering who Rawlings is, you might recall a certain side quest in ME2 where Shepard had to go after a Cerberus operative on the planet of Lorek. This was the same person who had information on Cerberus' actions with the Rachni (in 2185, of course). I did not make him up-he belongs to Bioware. Thank you to everyone for reading and reviews are always much appreciated!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Cerberus Space Station #36, aka Highlander Station, Styx Theta Cluster

December 14th, 2175, 1633h

"Amazing simulation, Longoria. I'll be your wingman any day," a fellow pilot trainee took off his helmet and gave her his gloved hand.

"Who are you?" She shook his hand and did the same.

"Name's Benson, Michael Benson. You really took out those aliens fast, even when they had you in a lock for their weapon fire."

"It wasn't easy with a simulated busted number three engine on the port side. I know shit like that can happen in real life, but man…dropping into a set spin nearly made me lose my lunch. And I ate that hours ago." She paused as they started to walk down the station's corridor. "What's your story?"

"I got thrown out of Alliance flight school 'cause I took too many risks. They said I was too cocky for my own good. Cocky? I only did those fly-bys because my captain was such as jerk-off. Dude, it was _so_ worth it the last time-the traffic controller told me that he spilled coffee right onto his crotch." Benson pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it right there. "And you?"

"I was tossed outta the Alliance, too. But I never got to make it to flight school-they tried to make me into some commando."

"Forced you to do what they saw was best for you, huh? Idiots probably never heard the saying you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink."

"No, they heard it all right. They believed in leading the horse to the water to let it drink and then force it to be killed. Stupid asses. It's good to be in a place that believes in you," Serena said.

"And Cerberus truly looks out for us…humans, you know. Ever since we found out that we weren't alone in the galaxy, all the other organizations started to kiss all of the aliens' asses so that we wouldn't be annihilated again like the First Contact War," Benson agreed. "Goddamned ostriches with their heads in the sand. We gotta look out for our own race, you know?"

"Yeah, I saw the training vids like you. Cerberus has some noble ideals, but I like it better that they let me fly-without questioning my every move," Longoria stated.

A middle aged man with salt and pepper hair dressed in a formal suit with a high collar approached the two pilots. "Excuse me, are you Serena Longoria?" he inquired.

"Who wants to know?"

"I've been assigned to you as your case handler-you can call me Charon."

"Charon? Don't you have a last name?"

"On a need to know basis, yes. Anonymity is one of the necessities to keep our work safe. I must speak with you alone-Mr. Benson, you will be contacted by another case handler of your own shortly."

"All right," Benson agreed and took off in the opposite direction. "Catch you later, Serena."

"Your progress has been most impressive so far, Miss Longoria. Let's speak in my office," Charon ushered her to the right down another corridor. A few seconds later, they arrived in his office, and he shut the door. The office was not nearly as luxurious as the ones in the recruitment center where she'd had her first interview, but for a space station, it sure had its own opulence. The chair across from his desk was crafted of leather, no doubt, and his own seat was the same with mahogany armrests.

"Please, be comfortable, Miss Longoria, have a seat." He joined her and sat behind the bureau. "While you're still receiving your training, you are considered a junior operative for now. Eventually, should you continue upon the fast track, you will be given more responsibilities and more trust. When you become a full-fledged operative, you will no longer require a handler and be given a cell to command with your own assignments."

"How long will that take?"

He smiled at her eagerness and chortled softly. "One step at a time, Agent Longoria. We don't have formal ranks here like they do in the Alliance, but we do have some protocols. Namely, I alone will handle all of your assignments-you will report to me when I call, and you will update me upon your progress. Some of the assignments will be team or squad related, some of them will be on your own. Naturally, I will brief you upon the details of each mission before it begins. I'm sure you're eager to begin, so here are some details regarding your first one."

She sat forward with keen interest.

"This first mission is in regards to gathering some intelligence. I will give you the layout of the base tomorrow because our analysts are still working on mapping it out." Charon activated his terminal to wake it from hibernation, typed in a password on the holographic keyboard, and glanced at the screen. "Ah, yes, here we are. The base is located on a moon that orbits the planet Komarov in the Pamyat system, in the Hades Nexus cluster."

"Got a fancy name for the moon, too?"

"Beowulf, as a matter of fact. The moon's terrain is very dusty like Mars but is very cold. It's so cold in fact, that it's a level one hazard. We'll be giving you a special suit to adapt your body. Mind you, it won't protect you for more than one or two minutes at the most, so the faster you find your way into this base, the safer you'll be."

"I'm from Ontario, Canada, mister. I grew up on the ice. I'll be fine."

"Just take the appropriate precautions, Agent Longoria, that's all I'm saying. Now, this base is controlled by the mercenary group called the Eclipse. They are heavily armed, usually with rocket launchers, have engineers, and perhaps one or two vanguards there. We'll know more specifically tomorrow morning. You'll be going with Agent Benson and two other squad mates. These other two men are under your orders for this mission and this mission alone. Neither of them are outfitted with biotic powers, but they will be carrying our standard omni-tool devices. And of course, they'll be providing you with adequate backup. Benson has had some hacking training, so he can get you into the base."

"When will I be learning that stuff?"

"Next month, I believe. Now, you are to upload all information that you find on this terminal to us via your omni-tool. When you report to outfitting this evening, you will be supplied with the account information as well as some other helpful tools for the assignment."

"What do I do with the mercs?"

"Whatever is necessary," he shrugged. "Unlike the Alliance, Cerberus will do whatever is needed to get the job done. Casualties are not relevant."

"How will I get there?"

"One of our ships will provide the means of transportation, and you can fly one of the shuttles in. I believe that there is a landing pad at the base just west of it. Now the armory will close at 1900h this evening, so I suggest that you visit it to equip yourself before retiring for the night. Tomorrow morning before you go out at 645h, come visit my office again, and I should have those necessary intel reports for you."

"What about the place where I can get that enviro suit?"

"Ah, yes, almost forgot, thank you. The uniform store will close at 2000h this evening-it's located on deck 2 just to the right of the elevator."

"Thanks, Operative Charon. Oh, one more question," Longoria stood.

"And that would be?"

"Is there a time limit to this mission?"

"We would like for this to be completed within the next twenty-four hours, but if things become complicated, it's understandable. You won't be court-martialed for not arriving back to this station by tomorrow evening," he said and gave her a slight beam. "I almost forgot to tell you this; it is of the utmost paramount importance."

"What's that?"

"I'm sure you've heard some rumors about a certain procedure regarding cyanide capsule implants in the molars."

"Some, yeah. What's up with that?"

"That is _one_ thing that all Cerberus agents and operatives are required to have. You will be supplied with one at 2030 h this evening. That is all, Agent Longoria, you are dismissed."

Eclipse base, Beowulf

December 15th, 2175, 947h

Clearing out the base certainly hadn't been easy. And unfortunately, the intelligence reports from the Cerberus analysts were flawed. There were certainly more than 6 heavies (RPG wielding mercs), two engineers, and two vanguards. First of all, there were mechs. Taking them out wasn't much of a challenge for Serena and her squad.

The pain was finding all that there were twice as many Eclipse agents, and that all of them knew that their base had been breached. But then again, why wouldn't they? There was only one entrance to the whole damn place. "This data had better be worth it all," she muttered to herself as they made their final push through the bottom floor.

Benson wasn't too bad at handling himself either, but he was definitely more tech savvy than she had thought. He had that code broken on their outside door broken in probably less than a minute's time, to which all squad mates were grateful. Charon wasn't kidding about Beowulf's sub-zero temperatures. The cold hit her life a bunch of knives stabbing her everywhere, even with the protective suit.

With one last spray of bullets, the two soldiers that had flanked themselves next to Longoria and Benson took a quick look around the place to assess their situation. "Looks clear," one of the men commented.

"Right. You two stay down here and check out those sleeping bunks while Benson and I go upstairs. Don't want any nasty surprises for us," Longoria ordered.

The soldiers nodded in agreement and did as told.

"Think that you can get into that terminal?" she asked Benson as they walked upstairs.

"To tell you the truth, I'm not sure," he replied honestly and shrugged. "But I'm always up to a challenge."

"Well, if you get into trouble, just let me know. They gave me a bypass crack program on my omni-tool just in case." As they made their way into the room, they realized that they were not alone.

An Asari dressed in civilian clothes was frantically moving things around on the screen with her omni-tool, and as she noticed the intruders, she froze. There was a pistol on the desk, but it was nowhere near her reach. "Move away from the terminal, and nobody's gonna get hurt here," Serena commanded.

"Okay, just please don't hurt me!" the asari exclaimed, raised her arms, and obeyed.

"Go do your job, Benson."

Benson nodded wordlessly and sat down at the terminal. Longoria kept her eyes peeled upon the asari with her pistol still drawn. "What's it look like? Can you hack it?"

"Well, did Charon say what they needed?"

"No. Maybe you should just see if you can copy the whole hard drive to your omni-tool. You can filter through the data later."

"Didn't he say that they wanted it to be uploaded to them immediately?"

"Come on, a whole hard drive? Who knows how long that'll take?" Longoria paused for a moment to think. "You," she pointed with her gun at the asari. "What do you do here?"

"I…uh…manage the Eclipse's shipping databases from time to time," the asari meekly responded.

"That's it. Just take all the files regarding their smuggling or _shipping_ routes. That must be what we're here for."

"Done." Benson's eyes searched through the monitor as he moved some windows around with his omni-tool. "What're you gonna do about the baggage?"

"Baggage?"

"We can't let her leave her. She knows things about us, heard us talking about Cerberus ops."

"Uhh…I swear that I won't tell anyone! Please! Just let me go! I just wanna go back to Illium and to my office! You'll never see me again."

"It's not like nobody knows about us," Longoria replied. "We are wearing the uniforms."

"Yes, I noticed that right away," the asari nodded.

"Shut up. Nobody's asking you," Benson shot back at her. "Just get rid of her, Longoria. We can't take that risk."

"She's unarmed."

"She could be wearing a biotic amp. Don't forget that all asari physiology naturally allows them to use powers," her colleague shrugged. "As soon as we turn our backs on her, she could surprise us from behind."

Longoria remained silent as she thought over the situation.

"Come on, Longoria, what are you, some alien lover?"

"No, it's just that-"

"Hey, you wanna do this?" He gestured to the terminal. "'Cause I certainly can't concentrate like this. And I wanna go back in time to the base for lunch, what 'bout you?"

The asari took this moment while Longoria was distracted with her thoughts to slowly back away and turn away to run. "Longoria!" Benson yelled.

The Canadian whipped around quickly and without another moment of hesitation shot the fleeing asari in the back. She sheathed the pistol and joined Benson behind the terminal. "Are you done yet?"

"Just about. Here. I hope this is what Charon wanted." He arose to give her access with her omni-tool. "I did make a backup of the hard drive, just in case I missed something."

"Good, thanks, Benson."

Highlander Station, Hades Nexus cluster

August 30th, 2176, 1907h

"Agent Longoria, I'd like to see you in my office," Operative Charon's baritone voice upon on her omni-tool stirred her from her reverie.

Longoria drained the remainder of her beer and arose from her seat. "Gotta go," she told Benson, who had been playing a video game on his own omni-tool.

"See ya," he said without looking up.

The agents' lounge in Cerberus' space station wasn't crowded, and it wouldn't be full until well after midnight. Serena liked to come in every other night for a quiet drink, and as soon as the masses would pour in, she'd usually take that moment to get out of there as soon as humanly possible. She got caught once by a mildly drunk lab assistant who tried to make some advances on her and instead of slapping or punching him, she simply began to charge up her biotics. He immediately backed off and apologized.

Charon's door slid open as she arrived and then retracted itself after the stepped inside. _I'd love to have one of those when I get my own office_, she thought.

He sat with one leg crossed over the other with a glass of brandy in his hand, constantly rotating the liquid to keep its warmth. "Operative Rohm said that you've been excelling in your behavioral studies. He mentions that you can read people very well."

"Guess that comes from having a hard-assed lumberjack for a father," she shrugged and sat across from him.

"I've also heard that you're not doing too badly with exploitation. Although Rohm said you could use a bit more fine tuning on your," Charon paused to look her up and down, "presentation."

"My next glass of beer is about to get warm. What's your point?"

"My point is that Cerberus is not all about brute force nor is it about scientific discovery. We have another branch that could use some help from you, and since you have the potential, I'd like to offer it to you."

"I still want to be enrolled in flight school," she said and tightened up her posture rigidly.

"We won't remove you from your passion, that's not our intent," Charon held up a hand and took a drink from his snifter. "We want you to be happy here and know that you are valued very much by Cerberus."

"So what is this offer already?" She rolled her eyes.

"Your assignment this time is not a simple one-off task. It requires subtlety, patience, and tact."

"I'm not sure if I'm the right person for that, then. How long will this last?" Longoria inquired cautiously.

"That depends on you." Charon drank again and licked his lips. "How long does it take to win someone's trust?"

"I can't put a limit on _that_," she huffed.

"Precisely. Now, we won't ask you to do this without some more training, but some people much higher up than me have taken notice of you, Agent Longoria. You have a very high amount of positive ratings on your missions, and we'd like to keep you on the fast track to becoming an operative. If you complete this, you not only will be greatly rewarded financially but also for your loyalty."

"What do you mean?"

"I've taken the liberty of opening up your dossier, and last year, you mentioned that you'd be interested in our help with your father. This afternoon after receiving my orders, I also received some intel about your relationship. It's my understanding that not all is well."

"That's putting it rather mildly."

"We are willing to do whatever is necessary for you to resolve this…issue should you complete this assignment." Charon finished the remainder of his drink and put the snifter onto his desk.

Longoria fidgeted around in her seat and uncrossed her arms. "You mean if I wanna kill him, Cerberus will help me?"

"If that is within your desires, then so be it."

"You don't have any problem whatsoever taking out another human being? I get why we take out the aliens and mercenaries, but he's just a businessman from Earth."

"Sometimes relationships cannot be fixed with words, and it looks like, at least from a partial observer on the outside," he tapped his fingers on the desk, "that there may not be a way around it. We don't take human lives as easily as we may for an alien-this was a discussion that lasted for a couple of hours, mind you. Your father has financially invested himself in Cerberus, in fact, he did it at the beginning. However, for some reason, and we have no true way of knowing why, he has removed his support from us."

"When did this happen?" Longoria's eyes narrowed.

"Don't worry, Agent Longoria. He did this long before you joined us; you're safe here. And that's all I can tell you about that for now because, frankly, I don't even know when. Only the Illusive Man knows for sure…and probably his accountants, too."

"The Illusive Man? Who's he?"

"The head of Cerberus. All decisions from the top come down from him-he has the final say in all operations."

"Like a president or prime minister?"

"You could say that, but there is no official governing body in Cerberus. Anyhow, I just wanted to let you know how much this organization values an agent like you. We don't go back on our promises to our people. I believe Operative Rawlings made you one on the day you first walked into our recruiting office."

"All right, let's say that I agree to do this. When would I start?"

"Well, you will need your own transportation. So I would recommend getting yourself a vessel so that you may come and go through the systems as much as you'd like."

"Get my own ship, you mean? I don't know if I can afford that."

"As you train, you will be paid. Cerberus would be willing to lend you some money towards your expense. Naturally, purchasing a brand new vessel would not be an economical choice. After you've bought one and done some more training in exploitation, we'll talk again."

"Well, how long will that take?"

"Again, Agent Longoria, that depends on you. When Operative Rohm feels that you're ready to undertake this mission, he'll let me know as soon as possible. We're all anxious to see you succeed. That'll be all for today, thank you."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Orbit of the Citadel

October 28th, 2176, 2019h

The first thing Longoria noticed about the SSV Calgary Goddess was that it was in desperate need of a new paint job. This twenty-eight year old cruiser had seen its share of warfare, but it was definitely within her limited budget. She also didn't have to borrow that much from Cerberus either, which made her exceptionally happy. This mission would not at all be easy-it could last for months for all she knew. The steady EFTs funneling into her bank account would be the only things reminding her that she was doing her job correctly for now.

Operative Charon said that he trusted her to handle this on her own without him, and she should only contact him in case of an emergency or when she had success. Going undercover and trying to infiltrate C-Sec was not going to be easy at all. But that was not all she was required to do. Longoria also had to recruit a _real _C-Sec officer for Cerberus. Thankfully, Cerberus already had a target in mind, and his name was Damon Harkin.

Harkin had an alcohol problem as well as a bit of a gambling problem, so there would be no issue finding him. He'd either be in a casino or at a bar if he were off duty. The easiest part would come first as she needed to hand in her file and get accepted to C-Sec.

The paperwork for Longoria was crafted by Cerberus' analysts, and it was perfect. It had said that she did some training with the Alliance but decided to leave and pursue detective work because it interested her more. The dossier also had one or two personnel flaws in it because no personnel file should be without one. If it had no flaws, then it could easily be called a fake. Her downfalls were hardly untrue, though. The dossier called her impatient and ambitious.

Longoria docked her ship in one of the bays and noticed a few Alliance ships around her-the SSV Jakarta and the SSV Hyderabad. _Great. Hope I don't bump into anyone I know_.

The ride on the elevator had softly playing music as a feed from the galactic news suddenly came on. "Pirates and slavers have attacked Elysium, the human capital in the Skyllian Verge during what Alliance leaders are calling the Skyllian Blitz. Plans for acts of possible retaliation are in discussion due to the horrible loss of human life. So far, the Batarian diplomats have not released any official comments to the galactic news network, but they say that they will discuss this matter heavily with the human embassy."

Longoria sighed. "Discuss the matter…humph." She couldn't leave the elevator fast enough as another news feed started to pour in. Various turian C-Sec officers turned their heads to glance upon the elevator as she walked out but soon lost interest as they noticed that it was only a human. "Excuse me, where's the recruiting office?" she asked one.

"Down the hall to your right. Shouldn't waste your time," the turian smirked.

"I already did by talking to you, apparently," she snapped and made her way towards the office. "Is this the C-Sec recruiting office?" Longoria asked the turian officer inside.

"Come in," he gestured with his claw-like hand. "Did you complete the application?"

"Yes, and I believe my dossier was uploaded to your server already under the name of Serena Longoria by my former Alliance superiors."

"Hmm…one moment, please." The officer did some typing and instantly got the results he wanted. "Here it is. Says here that you'd rather serve in C-Sec to become a detective."

"Yep. I made it about halfway through the Academy when something about all the training didn't feel right. I'm good at reading people, and I didn't want to just be a cardboard cut out soldier."

"I'll forward this information for approval to my supervisor. It'll take about one to two business days before we can let you know anything concrete. Otherwise, I believe you'll have no trouble getting in. The tests won't be necessary, as you already passed the Alliance's. We just have a few formalities to get out of the way. Have you an extranet email account?"

"It's on the application, I think."

"Oh, yes, indeed. Pardon my mistake," the turian apologized.

Longoria's eyebrows climbed upward. "You're apologizing to me?"

"I don't hate humans. As you can see, we are hiring some. But Executor Pallin likes to be cautious. I say, why turn down good help, no matter what race it comes from?" the officer shrugged. "Next, please." He gestured to the next recruit, to which Longoria took her cue to depart.

Flux, the Citadel

November 10th, 2176, 2209h

The lounge's bouncer gave Longoria a smile as she walked inside. "Nice to see another fellow human being in here," he told her.

She paid him no mind and went straight for the bar, where her mark, Damon Harkin sat on a barstool. "What's your pleasure, Earth-clan?" the volus inquired politely.

"Gimme a boilermaker. Your strongest whiskey," Longoria huffed and sat down a couple of stools from Harkin. The C-Sec officer gave her a cursory glance and went back to his own drink. Seconds later, the bartender fulfilled her request.

"Would you like to keep a tab or pay now?"

"Leave a tab open for me. I'm gonna need several of these tonight." She grunted heavily. "Damn turian superior kept grilling my ass. Said I wasn't 'following procedure' because I missed filling out a page on my report."

"What kind of work do you do, miss?" the volus bartender asked innocently.

"I'm an officer in C-Sec…customs. Wanted to be a detective, but there weren't any immediate openings." With that remark, Harkin's head went in her direction.

"They think they're so much better than us humans. That's what _really_ gets in under my skin," Harkin commented.

"Yeah, tell me about it. We've been doing police work just as long as those jerks. Though a few decisions the Americans made back in the 21st century were jokes," Longoria shook her head.

"What district are you in?"

"Tayseri Ward, for now. What a bunch of slums. Only thing worse they could have me doing is scrubbing the fucking toilets at HQ. You?"

"I hear ya," Harkin nodded. "They've got me in Zakera Ward. It isn't much better." He slid over from his barstool closer to hers. "How long have you been with us? I haven't seen you in HQ."

"A little over a week. I'm still glad I left the Alliance, though. Life's better here on the Citadel."

"You from Earth or one of the colonies?" Harkin chugged his drink down and put his glass down on the counter afterward.

Longoria's mind nearly forgot that her application did not say Earth. _What did it say? Think, damnit!_

"Does it really matter?" she inquired and lifted an eyebrow.

"Just thought you might be from Earth since you were talking about the Americans. I miss Chicago-grew up there," Harkin shrugged.

"Noveria," she finally remembered. "Down in the Aleutsk valley."

"How'd you know about American customs?"

"Reputation. Too bad they got so sloppy-almost drove the country into bankruptcy." She waived at the volus bartender. "Another round for the both of us."

"Thanks," Harkin smirked. "So you grew up with the cold, too."

"I liked it-made me appreciate travel all the more. This place is unbelievably perfect," she said and looked over her shoulder at the cityscape.

"Yeah, it could use some human touches, though."

"Like what?"

"Well, the drinks for one." Harkin pointed to his as the bartender refilled both of their glasses. Longoria lifted her whiskey and let it drop to the bottom of the beer. "They need to get better breweries. This guy makes a helluva vodka martini, but their beer needs some refinement."

Longoria nodded with understanding completely as she drained her drink. The beer here didn't come close to anything on Earth. The stuff on Mars was close, though. "It's not bad to wet your whistle with, though," she shrugged. "I'm no expert. How about their whiskey?"

"Ahn…it's passable. Their gin is great for degreasing engines, especially if a turian tries to make some," Harkin laughed and did the same. "Next round's on me. What's your name?"

"Longoria. Serena Longoria."

"I'm Damon Harkin." He held out his hand for her to shake, which she did and gave him a smile with full teeth.

"The pleasure's all mine," she said, laying on the full-fledged charm.

"You ever hit the slots much?"

"I like to be in control of my own money, but I don't have a problem with people who do. Their call with what they do with their own money."

He nodded in agreement. "Wanna have dinner sometime? Like tomorrow?"

On the inside, Serena's stomach churned itself inside and out. This guy was a complete louse-he was probably as dirty as they come in C-sec, but whatever. This was the job, and the quicker she gained his trust, the faster she could get out of the Citadel and back to getting back at her father.

"My shift finishes at six. Where do you want to go?"

"There's a cafe on Zakera Ward with some exceptional chow. How about we start there?"

"I'll meet you there." She arose from her bar stool, and Harkin's hand covered hers.

"Leaving so soon?" he wondered. "Thought we were just getting started." He was tipsy already. Longoria studied him for a moment before giving her answer.

"Maybe one more drink," she said with a wink.

"Hit us again!' Harkin exclaimed happily and slammed the counter.

600 Block, Shin Akeba Ward, Citadel

December 6th, 2176, 2:18h

Longoria woke up from a nightmare in a cold sweat. She glanced over at the naked form of Harkin sleeping beside her. Thankfully, he was either too drunk or too high to notice that she'd awoken. She left the bed and pulled a Japanese robe onto herself. The silk felt good, certainly better than the drunken sex she'd just had with Harkin.

Well…he was drunk, anyhow. Apparently, he had more issues than she thought. Issues that Cerberus could definitely use to their advantage. For one thing, he was not only an alcoholic, but he also would skim off red sand off the top of drug busts that they made. He was only a social user but would also sell it while they were out. She turned a blind eye to it, only because saying anything would definitely hurt their situation.

Harkin was not quick to trust at all..in fact, she was now wondering if he was using her like she was using him. But why would he do so? She didn't have any useful information. And he certainly wasn't smart enough to detect that she wasn't who she pretended to be.

The nightmare was about Kaidan. She was still dreaming about him, wanting him. Every time she had to screw this feckless drunk she imagined that he was Alenko, loving every single moment of it. With a sigh, she gazed out the window of his apartment and looked at the traffic. It was quite minimal now, compared to the hustle and bustle of the morning or early evening.

Longoria kept playing out her last moments with Kaidan, imagining him to say something completely different-to love and accept her. To provide her comfort no matter what she did or who she was. It wasn't her fault that that stupid cadet pulled a gun on her! Then the last image that came through her head was the blood upon her Alliance t-shirt. She had wiped her hands off on it, but she couldn't make the blood go away. It kept coming back like a seeping wound that wouldn't close. This wasn't the first night she had dreams like this, either.

Harkin grumbled something unintelligible in his sleep and felt the place beside him. Finding no one, he sat up. "What's the matter?" he asked sleepily.

"Nothing, just thinking," Longoria replied evasively.

"About what?"

Her mind searched quickly for a lie. "Rain."

"Rain?"

"Yeah. It doesn't rain here. Don't you miss it?"

"Never really thought about it," he cleared his throat and gave her a hungry gaze. "God, you're sexy. Men in the Alliance must've tried to jump you a hundred times a week."

His comment made her flesh crawl, but she shook it off and chuckled lightly. "Make that 1,000. I'm as hot as they come." She started to charge up her biotics.

"Hell, yeah. Get over here."

"I don't think so," she replied in a husky whisper and outstretched her arm. He floated towards her helplessly and as she put him down, he aggressively threw open her kimono.

"Talk dirty to me, Longoria," Harkin growled and bent down.

As much as it annoyed her, she pretended to feel pleasure. "Oh, yes, Harkin, just like that."

Longoria's apartment, Shin Akeba Ward, Citadel

January 12th, 2177, 0045h

After another round of debauchery, Longoria left Harkin to sleep. She had sneaked in a couple of mickeys just to make sure that he wouldn't rouse as easily as he had the last couple of times. This time, as she flicked his ear and tried to slap his cheek once or twice, he was completely unresponsive.

Things weren't going well as well as she'd hoped. Out on her balcony, she activated her omni-tool to call Operative Charon. She wasn't sure exactly what time it was on the space station but didn't care. She was getting restless and wanted some reprieve if possible.

"Ah, Agent Longoria," Charon's baritone voice greeted her cheerily. "I was just thinking about you and wondering how far you'd come in your progress. What have you to report?"

"I hope that this isn't late, sir. Apologies if it is."

"Not at all-it's just the end of the work day here. Why, what time is it where you are?" Although this was a secure channel, he was always cautious as to who could possibly be listening.

"After midnight."

"Ah, I see. What can I do for you?"

"The mark is coming to…I mean…I'm not sure how much he trusts me. It's not easy to tell since he's so casual about sex."

"Has he told you anything about himself that we don't already know?"

"Not really, other than he grew up on Earth and is a red sand dealer from time to time. That I learned from keeping my mouth shut, by the way. He takes a cut from the stuff for himself when we bust up some big dealer in the wards."

"That's useful, good. Does he use it?" Charon inquired.

"From time to time. He's not a serious junkie, and he keeps his deals extremely low key."

"Has he done them in front of you?"

"Not directly, no. But it's an easy thing to spot in a nightclub when you're not drinking like everyone else," she shrugged.

"Any high profile clients that you've noticed?"

"No. Sorry. Look, I know that this is really important, but…what do you want me to do now? I've done what you've asked."

"Do you feel that he'd do anything for you?"

"I'm not sure. He's not smart but he's no complete moron."

"Perhaps it's better that you stay with him until you know that that answer is positive," Charon replied.

"Can't I just…invite him now to join us?" She was growing impatient and started to pace. "I've played my part, and I don't wanna be here anymore with this sleaze ball. You've got enough on him for extortion, right?"

"We don't extort people into Cerberus, it's a choice," Charon disagreed and shook his head no.

"No, but you certainly can talk them into it," she argued, remembering the recruiting Agent Rawlings that she had spoken two nearly two years ago.

"Unless I'm hearing things, I believe that that is the job we both agreed that _you_ would do. If you feel that this is the appropriate time to recruit Mr. Harkin, then do it. If it isn't, then continue on as planned."

"But I don't have anything planned!" she nearly shouted. "I'm tired of screwing a filthy scum sucking maggot like this asshole!"

Charon looked at her with a sullen expression on his face. "We appreciate what you're doing out there, Agent Longoria. It sounds like you've made some headway."

"For how long?" she muttered.

"Don't call me again unless it's an emergency or unless you've convinced him to join us." He terminated their call. Longoria threw up her hands in the air in frustration.

"Son of a bitch!" she yelled from the top of her lungs to no one.

C-Sec Headquarters, the Citadel

January 26th, 2177, 1757h

Longoria couldn't take it anymore. Harkin had been giving her lascivious glances all day throughout their departmental meetings. She packed some of her things from the apartment during her lunch hour and took them aboard her ship. Now it was time to bust loose.

Every time she had been with him, she had imagined that it was Kaidan. Now it was becoming dull and mundane. All Harkin ever did was take-he never gave anything to her. He wasn't opening up about his beliefs, hopes, or dreams, no matter how much she tried to pry. All he seemed interested in was how he was going to make a quick thousand credits next. There was no point, she decided. Besides, Cerberus didn't need him all that much. She could've carried out the work if need be; however, Longoria didn't want to stay on the Citadel.

As she rode the elevator up to the docking bay, Harkin was there waiting for her, leaning up against a wall to the airlock. "Nice ship," he remarked. "Going out for a breather, so to speak? Visit Noveria for the weekend?"

Serena licked her lips nervously; she hadn't expected that he'd followed her there. "Want to come with me?" she asked warily.

"I'm working a double shift tomorrow, so I don't think so." As she walked by him, he suddenly grabbed her by the arm. It wasn't rough, but it startled her. "So why were you _really_ here?"

"I'm not sure I follow you."

"You talked too much like a human from Earth, so I figured that that Noveria story was bullshit. And you wouldn't have screwed me upside down from next Wednesday every other night if you were from internal affairs. I'm not much to look at, and I can't offer a woman more than a cop's salary plus a little extra dough every now and then. You're cutting loose because you weren't getting anywhere with me or now you're appalled and want outta something. I don't know what because I'm not Einstein or Tesla, but I've got a nose for when something doesn't smell right."

He was smarter than she thought, but there was no sense in letting him know that he was even close. She remained silent as she tried to collect her thoughts. _Should I lie or try to talk him into it now?_

"So who the hell are ya, lady? Should I slap the cuffs on ya now for trying to impersonate a C-Sec officer or are you gonna come clean with me?" Harkin pressed.

"I was sent to make you an offer, but I don't think you're good enough to join us. I'd rather return empty handed than let a jerk-off like you get into our ranks. Get outta my way," Longoria's resolve returned and shook herself free of his grip.

"Ha, whoever you work for must have a lot of guts. I don't work for anybody but myself," Harkin laughed and turned his back. "Tell your boss to shove his offer up his ass."

"Like I said, there _is_ no offer, you bastard," Longoria snarled and jammed her fist onto the airlock's control panel. "Why don't you take a long walk off of a short dock?" Her body began to glow in a blue aura.

"That's right, go back and cry to your daddy. Is the boss man getting some from you too on the side?" He cruelly continued to laugh.

"Someday, you're gonna wish that it was me who killed you. Because whoever does you in will make you suffer like the low-down, flesh eating, parasitic leech that you are!" Serena thundered and threw him as hard as she could. Without looking back, she entered her ship and closed the airlock door.

Harkin flew back several feet-the backs of his feet were nearly hanging off of the edge of the pier. If he leaned the wrong way, he would be half a foot off from losing his footing. As he went to try and steady himself, he heard the SSV Calgary Goddess' engines fire up. When he regained his balance, the ship was gone. "Bitch," he mumbled and hit the call button for the elevator.

*A/N*-First of all, I'd like to thank everyone for reading thus far. Reviews are always welcome. If you don't care for the story, then I understand. Constructive criticism will certainly be taken into consideration but not necessarily changed. That being said, I know that I completely took some liberties with Harkin. I have no clue what his name is, and I did check on Mass Wiki. I don't believe that he was ever given one, which is why I made one up for him.

Secondly, if you like my Mass Effect fiction, then please do travel over to the Amazon or Barnes and Noble website. I have a book that I published very recently that is being sold there in either paperback or on e-book should you have a Kindle or a Nook. The paperback is $14 plus shipping and handling, whereas on the e-reader, you can get it in about five to ten seconds. The book is titled "The Edge of Obliteration". There is also a dedicated Facebook page to it, but I cannot link it on my profile due to spam restrictions. This book has nothing to do with Mass Effect but was heavily inspired by it. Thanks once again for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Highlander Station, Nubian Expanse Cluster

Agents' Lounge, January 27th, 2177, 907h

"Hey, Serena, it's good to have you back. I was wondering when I'd see you again," Benson patted Longoria on the forearm. "Your handler wouldn't say squat about you every time I bugged him other than to say that you'd be gone for a while." He gave her a mug of coffee. "Two creams with no sugar, right?"

"Thanks, that's right," she beamed and gladly accepted it from him.

"Well, is your assignment over? Can you talk about it, or was this a top secret hushed job?"

Her face told him that she wanted to say more but couldn't. "Sorry, Benson. I can't even tell you."

"Aw, don't worry. I've been keeping busy since you've been gone. They've got me flying all sorts of new prototypes now. Sometimes I go out on missions, but I think I'd rather do the field testing."

"Agent Longoria," came the voice from her omni-tool that she was hoping not to hear too soon. It was Charon, and the tone in his voice was not kind. "Your presence is required in my office. Now."

"Coming, Operative Charon," she replied and brought the mug with her so she could finish it.

"You were to call me when your assignment was finished. I expect a full debriefing right this moment," he rebuked her as she journeyed into the office.

"I couldn't do it any more," she stated meekly.

"What do you mean?"

"He wouldn't have gone to work for us anyhow," she shook her head. "He told me that he knew I was up to something. He didn't say what, guess he didn't really care, but Harkin's no good to us."

"I see. Enlighten me," he groused.

"He's loyal to no one but himself. He would have turned on Cerberus at any time, mismanaged resources given to him, or accepted bribes from an outside source to sabotage us," Serena pleaded. "You've got to believe me. I spent the last three months of my life with this guy!"

"When the Cerberus analysts recommended him to be an agent-"

"They only went by his statistics and reports. Nobody else knows him like me that's alive. He wouldn't have been as useful as they said, and I was sick of pissing in the wind."

For once, Serena couldn't read what was on Charon's mind. He kept a straight face as he considered his options. "I don't like mission failures, Agent Longoria. My records for this organization are as clean as a starched white shirt. Nor do I appreciate being undermined by a subordinate."

"It wasn't intentional, sir. I'm sorry."

"I must discuss the mission report with the other operatives and the Illusive Man. If you'll excuse me, I must now attend that meeting." For the first time, Longoria saw it only for a fleeting moment; an expression of worry came over Operative Charon's face as he arose.

Debriefing Room, Highlander Station

January 27th, 2177 930h

This particular room had several adjoining circular tables facing one another. The communication link console sat in the center. As the operatives gathered around the table, their greetings to one another were all cut short by a holographic image of the Illusive Man. He iconically held up a cigarette in salutation to all. "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I am quite eager to hear all of your reports. I see that Operative Charon has joined our group this morning-hopefully, that is good news for Project Skywalker."

Charon poured himself a glass of water and drank from it. Before he could speak, another operative spoke out instead.

"Sir, I hope you don't mind, but I've got some exciting news. Elkoss Combine and Kahne Hahne Kedar have agreed to license us with some of their advanced weaponry!" she exclaimed.

"And how did this come to be?" the Illusive Man inquired.

"We made extremely persuasive arguments that may have included some extortion of the CEO and a certain few mistresses he has…err…had. I suppose you could say that we made him an offer he couldn't possibly refuse?"

The rest of the operatives in the room chuckled with a polite snicker in response.

"This is good news, but I only want their schematics. We don't need their people or equipment. We'll make everything ourselves…and improve upon it," Cerberus' head honcho replied with a smile. "Well done, Operative Morrison."

She bowed her head slightly and sat down. "Sorry to steal your thunder, Operative Charon," she apologized.

"No, that's quite all right. I suppose that good news should precursor the bad news," he shrugged. "I…uh…have some unfortunate news, sir. Project Skywalker has failed."

"What happened?" A brunette woman came on camera next to the Illusive Man with a light Australian accent. Her skintight clothing accentuated her body's every curve, and her arms crossed impatiently over her well-endowed chest.

"My agent did infiltrate C-Sec but could not make a deep enough influence over her mark in order to persuade him to join us," Charon's tone became a bit more brave as he studied this woman.

"Our target was one Damon Harkin, aged 34, a heavy alcoholic, chronic gambler, and a cop on the take, is that correct?"

"Yes, Operative Lawson. I assure you, my agent did everything in her power to try and turn him. However, she got cold feet after not receiving some definitive results and has unfortunately returned to us empty-handed," Charon stated. "She had contacted me two weeks before this asking for reprieve, but I did not see that it was time to pull her out yet."

"Why?"

"I was confident in her abilities and knew that if I pressured her hard enough that she would produce some good results," Charon admitted. "Apparently, I misjudged her." He hesitated, thinking that there would be an immediate response, but since there was none, he went on. "I had struck a deal with my asset."

"What kind of deal?" Miranda asked with an eyebrow raised. Charon began to explain the story about Longoria's father and describe just what kind of a man he was. After hearing it, Miranda nodded in agreement with approval. "Sounds fair to me, but, she didn't fulfill her end of the bargain."

"Indeed. What should we do now?"

"Well it's obvious that she can't handle it. Is she still in the Citadel?"

"No, she returned to our base last night…against my orders," Charon sighed angrily.

"Don't be too hard on your asset, Operative Charon," the Illusive Man spoke up. "We like to challenge our agents like we like to challenge all of you, but there is a time to relax. Miranda, any new suggestions to solve this matter? I'd still like to continue on with Project Skywalker if possible."

"We can put a more senior agent or another operative in there whenever you'd like, sir. I would suggest letting some amount of time pass before we do, so. There's no rush, right?" the Aussie responded coolly.

"All right, let's wait another month. In the meanwhile, we have other matters to discuss," the Illusive Man stated.

Outside the debriefing room…

Serena detached the listening bug from the wall and pocketed the device. She'd heard enough-obviously Cerberus had no intention of helping her now. _Goddamned traitors_.

She returned the coffee mug to the cafeteria and went back to wait for Charon outside of his office. She played a quick game of hangman against the computerized player on her omni-tool.

Ten minutes later, he arrived and opened the door. "Let's talk in here, Agent Longoria."

"So, Operative Charon, any news?" she inquired, knowing full well of what he was going to say. _Let's see what kind of crap you can come up with on the fly_, she thought.

"Unsurprisingly, this mission has been shelved, and they will not be requesting your help in the future from this department. I should be receiving some more orders for you sometime in the future; however, there is nothing now. So perhaps you'd like to take some time off for yourself," he circled his desk and sat down in the chair.

"And that's it?"

Charon attended to his terminal to check his messages. "Should there be something else to discuss?"

"Well, I thought that we…-"

"Yes?"

"Look, I think I deserve something more than just a few thousand credits and some shitty lip service for this whole ordeal. I had to live, eat, and screw this scumbag nearly every other day. I was almost married to him, for Pete's sake!"

"That's not how the deal worked and you know it, Agent Longoria," he calmly replied. "I should have had it in writing, apparently, because you can't remember the details."

"Is there a chance that Cerberus would help me again like this?"

"No guarantee," Charon shook his head.

"Thought you said I was a valued employee. I screw up once and you throw me to the dogs?!"

"You look like you need some time off, Agent Longoria. I'll call you when I need you. Feel free to leave the station if you'd like."

Orbit of Mars, Local Cluster

March 1st, 2177, 1119h

The SSV Calgary Goddess made her way through the mass relay seamlessly. Longoria set the ship to auto drift while she went down to the engine room. Benson was down there making some repairs to the drive core when she climbed down the maintenance shaft near him.

"Oh, hello, Serena," he said and wiped some sweat from his brow.

"I forgot that the a/c doesn't work very well in the engine room. Sorry, Benson. Want a beer from my personal stash from upstairs?"

"Just give me a minute. Boy, it's a good thing that we just made that jump." He stared at his omni-tool's data. "She was just starting to heat up. Could use some more heat-sinks and coolant modulators. Fuel tank lines might need some maintenance attention, too, but unfortunately, I'm not a mechanic."

"Well, it's a good thing that I'm flying the Goddess back to the planet I bought her from. I've only had her for about six months. Maybe since I've got a bit of money put away, I should give her some upgrades after she's been maintained," Longoria sighed. "Come on, let's get that beer."

"Do you Canadians think of nothing else?" He laughed and joined her on the ladder.

"Hmm…" She was quiet for a few moments while she thought. "Whiskey, I guess. I like a good stiff shot on the side of the beer. Hell, sometimes I just dunk it right into the glass. Thanks for coming with me, by the way."

"Of course. I had to see your wings-couldn't let you be the only pilot that gets to fly her."

They went into the military kitchen, which was, of course, compact and had only the most basic needs. Longoria wasn't much of a cook, but she did like to eat well when she could. She pulled two bottles out of the refrigerator and handed one to Benson.

Both lost no time in removing the caps and guzzling down a few ounces of the very nicely chilled adult beverage. "Ah. So, what's your plan once while we get the Goddess souped up?" he inquired.

"I didn't really have much of one. Cerberus hasn't given me an assignment ever since I screwed up that C-Sec infiltration. Maybe they're easing up on me because of Charon," Longoria shrugged. "It's like he just gave up on me. And then he refused to give me the help I asked for."

"Well, I hope you don't mind me prying, but what was your deal?"

"I wanted Cerberus to help me take down my father."

"Take him down? Like extort him for all he's worth? I don't understand."

"Take him out, I mean," she said and drank some more. "I told you what he did to me, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you said that he had you operated on to become a biotic. Not to be rude, but that _has_ actually worked to your advantage, Longoria."

"You don't understand the side effects that come with these implants," she argued and scratched the back of her head. "I've just got mild ones, compared to some other biotics. Sometimes I'll have night terrors, migraines, nearly involuntary itching at the back of my neck…"

"So get some new ones. I've heard that L3xs don't give those."

"Do you have any idea of what those cost? I'd need to make a salary three times of what I make in a year to be able to afford those!"

"Oh, sorry. Well, can't you just go back to Earth now and do it, then? You wanna kill your dad, I get it, not just for that but for everything else he's done to you."

"It's not so simple," she shook her head and poured some more alcohol down her throat. "He's got ties to the Blue Suns. I found that out when I was at the Academy."

"Maybe that was a one time job."

"Maybe not. That's why I needed Cerberus' help."

Benson nodded. "Okay. I heard about this while looking through that hard drive I found when we did that job back on Beowulf. Remember that?"

"Yeah. You don't still have it, do you?"

"No, but I uncovered some references to someone named the Shadow Broker. He's a very powerful entity-has secrets upon everyone in the galaxy, and I mean _everyone_," Benson informed her as he swigged another gulp down. "Maybe you could ask for his help."

"And why he would be want to help me?"

"Information is power. Look, you want to sit around and mope all day, that's your business. I'm just trying to lend you a hand." He finished his beer and left the bottle on a countertop.

"Wait a second. Do you know anything else about this Broker?"

"Just one more thing. That hard drive mentioned something about a Broker contact named Fist who owns a nightclub on the Citadel. I think it's called-"

"Chora's Den. Yeah, I know it. By the way, have you ever been to Mars?"

"Yeah, I even read a book about it-written by John Gray. You ever been to Venus?" he joked.

"Huh? That planet couldn't even begin to be settled by humans…-"

"Never mind," he sighed and walked away. "I'll be back down in engineering getting all sweaty again for no good reason."

Chora's Den, the Citadel

July 8th, 2182, 2138h

Five days-it took her five days to recover from her implant operation. The L3x implant surgery was a success, but she didn't expect that the recovery would take so long. The doctors weren't specifically sure what would happen since she had previously had the L2x, but they assured her that they had taken all the necessary precautions. Humans were still relatively new to biotic technology. "I should've had it done in an asari clinic," she muttered to herself as she walked into the club.

However, the migraines and neural itching side effects were gone. She felt the back of her neck; there was some scarring there that would likely remain there for another month. Cosmetically, she could have it repaired by a plastic surgeon, but she could just barely afford to have this new implant installed.

Operative Charon was still her handler for Cerberus, and it seemed like they had lost some faith in her ever since she dropped the ball on Project Skywalker (the C-Sec infiltration). However, she still completed missions for them as a pilot and eventually went all the way through Cerberus' flight school. She even thought about teaching a course for some extra credits but thought better of it when she was reminded about a certain Alliance instructor in her past.

"Something to wet your whistle, babe?" A human bartender inquired as she approached the bar.

"I'm looking for the owner of this place," she said and held up a hand.

"Who wants to know?"

"Maybe a future business partner. You know where he is?"

"Sure. He's in his office right back there." The bartender signaled her attention to the back of the club. "But he's probably busy, so I wouldn't bother him right now if I were-"

Before he could finish speaking, she was already gone and made her way towards Fist's office. A burly and sour-faced krogan straightened up from his previous leaning posture as she came towards him. "What do you want?" he asked gruffly.

"I'd like to speak with Fist. Is he in?" Longoria wondered.

"Who the hell are you?"

"We can make this easy or hard, you douche. All I wanna do is see Fist, but if you're gonna be difficult, I can be real nasty," she said and narrowed her eyes.

"I'd like to see a human even try me," he sneered and crossed his arms.

"If that's how you wanna play it, fine." Longoria let her biotics loose, amazed at how quickly the implant fired up. She didn't even have to charge! With one deft motion of her hand, she threw the krogan against the wall, sneaked a hand into her combat boot, and threw a knife perfectly into his quad pack. He howled in pain and fell to the floor on his back, clutching at the knife.

Longoria reclaimed it and stepped over his body. "Nice job, Ace. Don't be so smart next time," she laughed and opened the door to access Fist's office.

The warehouse workers there froze in place as they noticed a woman with a knife walk through the area. None of them tried to stop her and continued on with their work.

As she journeyed on through the next door, she heard some familiar noises coming from his office that sounded like Fist was putting business before pleasure. A smile came across her face as she heard not only grunts and groans coming from a male but also from a female.

Longoria leaned against a wall that led into his inner office-the two participants were engaged in their lewd act apparently on the other side. She kept the knife hidden in her palm and waited for a few seconds. The action seemed to be speeding up, and she really didn't have time to waste, so Longoria revealed herself.

Fist and the asari he was with both stopped immediately. The pants that had been hanging off of his behind fell down onto the floor, which made Serena laugh derisively. "Who the hell are you?" he snarled.

"Get out," she ordered the asari, who nodded, covered herself up, and did as she was told.

"You'd better be here to finish what she started or I'm gonna mop the floor with you," his tone was of pure intimidation. "Now you get lost, bitch."

"Relax, or you'll end up like your krogan bodyguard. I gave him my own version of the genophage…permanently." She held up her knife and let him see the blood on it.

Fist was about to smash his hand against a panel on the wall, no doubt to activate the turret guns in his office, but before he could do so, Longoria lifted him off of his feet in the air slightly above her head. She could reach his groin area with little trouble now, and she moved closer towards him. The knife neared his manhood dangerously. "Wanna keep screwing those asari whores of yours or should I give you a vasectomy?"

"That's not a vasectomy!" he cried in fright. "Are you nuts?"

"Well, okay, guess I'm not much of a scholar, then. Whatever you want to call this operation, I can make it still happen," Longoria shrugged.

"This is all a misunderstanding, lady. Can't we talk this over?"

"Hmm…dunno. You did call me a bitch just a minute ago."

"It was an accident. I didn't mean it, really! I thought you were just some stripper that wanted to extort me or something-"

"Since when do strippers wear body armor?" she chuckled and released him. "Okay, Fist, you're off the hook. I didn't know you had a sense of humor."

He took a deep breath and held a hand against his chest. "Whew. You've got a pair on you, lady. Err…I meant…-"

"No offense taken. But I have a very short fuse, so you might want to be courteous to me."

"Would you care to have a seat, then?" Fist offered her a chair across from his desk.

"How kind." She sat and waited for him to do so as well before she went on. "Now, let's talk. I heard through the grapevine that you've got a connection to a very powerful person in the galaxy."

"I have a few, perhaps. But you shouldn't believe everything you hear, miss." He reached for a cigar from a box in a drawer and lit it.

"I've got some connections of my own." Only then did Fist notice the logo on her body armor, and he nodded.

"So you do. What can I do for an agent of Cerberus?" he inquired.

"I wanna talk to your boss-my name is Serena Longoria, and I'm here of my own accord. I'm not representing Cerberus in this matter."

"How do you know who I work for?"

"Like I said, I've got connections. I don't know who the Shadow Broker is, but he must have set you up really nicely here."

"I own this place and nobody else!"

"I wasn't trying to provoke you, Mr. Fist. I'd just like to be able to speak with the Broker myself."

"It doesn't always work like that." Fist blew out a cloud of smoke. "You don't just call up the Shadow Broker and talk to him like he's your cousin, asking him for a favor. He calls you."

"Well, how often does he call you?" Longoria asked directly.

"Tell you what…just let me know what you want, and I'll ask him if he wants to talk to you. He usually calls me every other night for reports, at the same time, too. I'll probably hear from him in an hour from now."

"I can wait."

"Look, Miss Longoria, I can't do that. Would you let me talk to the Illusive Man with Cerberus if I just asked you?"

"Don't think he has my number."

"So he must keep track of you through a handler. You're not an operative yet, are you?" Fist inquired, and she shook her head no. "Didn't think so. Listen, do me a favor. Come back tomorrow night, and I'll let you know if the Broker wants to hear from you."

"I don't like to wait long, so this'd better happen." She got up and put her knife away. "2200h. And you might want to get your krogan bodyguard some medical attention. That knife wound really looked like it hurt."

The next night, 2202h…

"Drinks on the house for the lady," the same human bartender that had greeted her last night told her as she walked inside.

"You got any Alexander Keith's?" Longoria inquired.

"I'm sorry, I don't recognize that. What is it?"

"A Canadian beer from Earth. Should've figured you wouldn't stock that stuff by looking at your current crop of clientele." She glanced about at the mix of turians, krogan, and only a few humans. "Fine, just hit me with some Crown Royal."

"What's that?"

"Good grief, you don't even have that? It's a whiskey, one of the best you can get!" Longoria rolled her eyes. "Just gimme whatever the strongest thing is that you've got here."

"Batarian ale. Got any particular choice of the variety?" The bartender pointed to the clear barrels behind him.

"Looks like I have a choice of green and less green muck."

"Nah, you've got a choice between pale and regular."

"They look the same to me," she shrugged.

"The lighting's really bad in here. If you held the pale up to some light, you'd be able to tell that the pale ale is much lighter than the regular ale. I think, if I'm correct, that humans from Earth would call the regular ale stout."

"Can I combine them, or do they taste better separate?"

"I'll give you some of both and let you decide." The bartender turned around to fetch some glasses and fill them. While he was busy, Fist came up behind Longoria and tapped her on the shoulder. She whirled around, which gave him quite a shock.

"Whoa! Sorry!" he apologized. "Here I am, ready to talk. Whenever you come in here, drinks are on the house."

"You didn't like that bodyguard, did you?" As the bartender placed the glasses onto the counter, Longoria eyed them with piqued interest. She played 'eeny-meeny-miny-mo' in between them and came to the choice on her left.

"You're right, I didn't. It's only because he was demanding a raise. Finding a younger and cheaper krogan shouldn't be too difficult," Fist chuckled.

Longoria guzzled the first drink and nearly spat it out. "Ugh. Not sure which one that was, but now I'm very scared to try the other one."

"I've got some champagne, if you're interested, in my office."

"Not particularly, but if that's your subtle encouragement to come talk with you privately, I'd be happy to do so."

"You gonna try the other one?" the bartender inquired.

"Just put it back. It'd probably work better as a glass cleaner," Longoria remarked and followed Fist to the back room.

"The Shadow Broker would like to speak with you tomorrow night. He's going to be occupied all this evening, unfortunately. Don't worry, Miss Longoria, this is a very good thing. Some people have to wait for months before they can speak with the Shadow Broker," Fist said and held up his hands.

"Did he tell you anything else?"

"He didn't specify the conditions of the deal, but I think he may be interested in recruiting you, from what it sounded like."

"I'm not sure if I want this to be a permanent alliance…"

"Trust me. If you get in, you'll get access to the best information network in the galaxy. And he's got contacts _everywhere_. Probably everywhere but Cerberus, which is why he seemed most keen on speaking with you tomorrow night."

"How does he know that I'm not bluffing? I may be wearing a uniform that has the Cerberus logo on it to throw you off. Perhaps I'm part of C-Sec."

"He already knew about your attempt to infiltrate those losers and recruit Harkin three years ago. I'm telling ya, he's got eyes and ears practically everywhere," Fist told her. "Besides, he knows Cerberus encryption codes, and those files that they sent with your fake dossier were riddled with them."

"So should I actually work for the Broker, how does that all work? Do you directly work through him or have a partner or…-"

"I report to the Shadow Broker, he gives me an assignment, I do it, I report back to him, and he gives me a reward financially. Sometimes he also rewards with information," Fist replied. "No go-betweens."

"How about partners?"

"I've never had one, but that doesn't mean that they don't exist. The Broker doesn't prohibit us from taking on one, but he does have one requirement, and that's easy. Loyalty. Feed him what he needs, and he'll protect you like a dog does its master. Double cross him, and you're as good as dead within a week…maybe less, depending upon where you are."

"Simple rules. Are there any more?"

"Obviously, keep your mouth shut. You want to keep your job and life, then don't fuck with him. Once he's done with you, our relationship ends. You can come into the bar for drinks, but I don't know you, and you don't know me. Capice?"

"Speaking of drinks, Fist…"

"Yeah?"

"If you ever wanna attract more humans, get some decent stuff to drink. The asari strippers and dancers aren't enough," Longoria shook her head and started to leave. "Same time tomorrow?"

"That'll be fine. What's wrong with Batarian ale?"

"You must've grown up on one of the colonies. Go to Earth or Mars and get a good shipment of kegs for yourself. You'll see what I mean."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Orbit of Flett, Malgus System, Eagle Nebula

July 11th, 2182, 1408h

Serena guided the SSV Calgary Goddess back towards Highlander Station-it wouldn't be long now. The Shadow Broker had accepted her as an agent, and her first tasks were to inform him of all current operations she could get her hands on. The opportunity of breaking into Operative Charon's office mildly intrigued her; she knew the man's work schedule, but he always seemed to be obsessed with it. Some Cerberus operatives loved to sit in their dedicated lounge all day and work out of it instead, but Charon was a bit of a hermit.

She wasn't sure if he didn't like people or just preferred to work in the quiet solitude of his office. Whatever the reason, it made it all the more challenging. Longoria was ready for it. The Broker didn't say when he'd get her the information she needed about her father, but he did assure her that he would be more loyal than Cerberus. Until she became a full-fledged Cerberus operative, he gave her a signal scrambler to encrypt her radio transmissions and data with.

Longoria cut the engines as the Cerberus docking arms attached themselves to the Goddess and retrieved her duffel bag from the co-pilot seat next to her. _A shower would feel really good now_.

Half an hour later after she cleaned herself up, Operative Charon sent a private message to her on her omni-tool. Being a double agent now didn't quite feel as natural as she thought it would. Several agents, scientists, and soldiers gave her some waves as they saw her stroll down the corridor. Nearly all of her relationships were completely superficial, so, it didn't bother her all that much to keep up appearances. Michael Benson, however, might be a bit more complicated.

Operative Charon gave her a genuine smile as she journeyed inside of his offices. "How was your vacation?"

"Invigorating and insightful. Don't you ever take one?" Longoria wondered and took her usual seat in front of him.

"Actually, after I give you your briefing here, I will be leaving shortly to do so. It's been at least four years for me, and I realized the other day just how much I really needed one after I nearly bit off another operative's head during a meeting," Charon told her.

"How long will you be gone?"

"Two weeks. I can't stay away for too long. However, the other operatives felt rather confident when I assured them that while I'm gone, they won't have to cover for me with my current objectives."

"Are you shelving them away?"

"No, Agent Longoria. You'll be covering for me while I'm away."

Her expression changed to complete surprise. "Really?"

"Yes. It's high time that you understand the responsibilities that an operative handles. This short period will most likely be your final transition, depending naturally upon how your handle yourself. Dazzle them all with your usual outstanding performances, and you can kiss me goodbye as your handler."

"What will happen after this, should I do well?"

"Like I said, you'll become a full-fledged operative. The Illusive Man or Operative Lawson will decide where your cell will be. Perhaps it will be here on this station, perhaps not."

"Will I get my own office?"

He chuckled at her eager question. "Maybe. Anyhow, let's get started with the briefing. Now, this job will most likely be right up your alley, so I'm all the more happy to give it to you."

"Why's that?"

"In the Voyager cluster and Yangzte system, there is a planet called Binthu. A small company of Alliance marines has just been stationed there to investigate an operation we have recently installed. You will not be taking a team or a partner with you-this needs to be handled by you and you alone, Longoria. This is extremely high risk, considering that you'll be facing more than twenty or thirty Alliance soldiers. My suggestion to insert you would be to make a parachute drop at night, so that you'll be able to take them by surprise."

"All right, what's the layout of the planet like?"

"I'll let you know in a moment. Now, as you know, none of the Alliance marines are important to us, so deal with them as you must. The commanding officer must be killed," Charon continued. "If he is able to send intelligence reports regarding our facility, then all our hard work there will be for nothing, and the Illusive Man wants this project to be unencumbered."

"What're they doing down there?"

"I have not been informed of those details, Agent Longoria. But you should know that the commanding officer is someone you know-I believe you knew him from your brief time in the Alliance. Does the name Major James Lloyd ring a bell?"

"One or two." Longoria's face did not change, but she was inwardly thrilled. A chance to settle an old legitimate vendetta was finally going to happen!

"Should Lloyd complete this mission, it's likely that he'll become a rear admiral. He's been trying to become promoted for the last two years."

"I thought he was in charge of the N Special Forces unit."

"He still is, so killing him will definitely cripple the Alliance. Did he not train you under the auspices of hoping that you'd be a commando?"

"Yeah, and that's where this conversation is going to end regarding the good old major. My past with him is my own goddamned business." Longoria's anger finally got the better of her.

"True, I did not mean to pry, Longoria, forgive me. Now, the planet Binthu's surface is pretty hot, reaching up to 94 degrees Centigrade during the day. That's why completing this mission at night is all the more appealing, I would think. I change my password on my terminal once every three days, and today, it will need to be changed in about five minutes. I will let you do that while you research anything else you should like. My transportation will be leaving within the hour, so I must bid you adieu now, Agent Longoria. Soon to be an operative, I hope," he gave her another smile and offered her his hand as he arose.

"Thanks, Operative Charon." She accepted the gesture and returned his smile. As she watched him leave, a part of her was now relieved. Getting any information she wanted regarding Charon's cell activities was now virtually at her fingertips! She settled herself behind her superior's desk and immediately got to work. "All too easy," she mumbled to herself.

Planet of Binthu surface

July 14th, 2182, 2338h

_Damned helmets again. This planet is gonna make life harder since I won't be able to chuck knives into soldier's necks from a distance_.

Serena untangled herself from her parachute and checked all of her weapons. The new thigh holster she had borrowed from Cerberus' armory left room for a silencer to be attached to the pistol's muzzle, so she made sure that it was on all the way. Her twin throwing knives were attached to her belt as were some spare thermal clips for the pistol. A fixed blade Ontario Mark 3 Navy knife was strapped to her right leg as well as the gun holster. On her left leg was a pair of orange smoke grenades as well as a flare gun with two charges in it. On her chest were some frag grenades as well as a couple of phosphorus ones known as 'whitey petes'.

So far as she knew from the Alliance satellite photos, there were twenty-five marines in this company, including their CO Lloyd. Longoria wished that she could have requisitioned some medium armor, but the armory didn't have any her size. Most of it was either too large or too small, and she didn't have time to wait for another order to come in. Light armor would have to do-she'd just have to be as careful as possible. A distraction could prove valuable to divide and conquer, but she would start off picking off as many individually as she could.

Since this planet was not at all cold, several LED solar lanterns dotted the camp site for light. Knocking over a couple of them could draw away some vigilant marines. So far, it looked like some of them were drinking and enjoying themselves inside one tent. Some shouts of joy were coming from another one, most likely from a rousing game of Skyllian Five poker. Two guards were standing watch not far from the drinking bunch, obviously very envious. They were speaking to one another quite a bit, completely unaware that they were being watched from less than fifty feet away.

_The rest must be sleeping_, Longoria assumed. She took her first orange smoke grenade, charged up her biotics, and lobbed it as far as she could. The two marines on sentry duty immediately noticed it, shouting to the card playing marines that they were off to investigate it. Four more marines emerged from the poker tent and left as well.

Longoria used this distraction to move a bit closer to the camp. The drinking marines were completely unaware of the orange grenade and kept draining away their sorrows or adding to their merriment. Some off-key singing began with one or two voices and then more joined in. As she got closer, she tried to ignore the horrible noise but just couldn't.

Three incredibly incapacitated marines staggered outside their tent. One opened his fly and let mother nature take its course right there. The next one fell to his knees and expectorated before he could get his helmet off. The third one still had a flask in his hand. He was about to raise it to his mouth but then realized that he'd have to take off his helmet to do so, and Longoria seized this golden opportunity. She removed the Navy knife from its sheathe, pulled the marine that was on the ground towards her and slit his throat. He made a few choking sounds as he tried to breathe but slumped to the ground in a silent heap.

She dragged his body away from the light, rushed over to the marine who was taking the longest piss since the dawn of time, and stabbed him in the back. He made a grunt, but since he was far away from the third marine, the only one left standing didn't hear it. The marine wasn't quite dead yet. He tried to reach for the knife, but she yanked him down to the ground with it. She forced the knife farther into his back, but he was still struggling. Longoria knelt on top of his back, pulled the blade out, and grabbed his head to force it still. She started from front to back of the neck with a quick tug. The marine's struggles subsided instantly.

The last one now looked around, trying to figure out where his companions went and dropped his flask on the ground. As he bent down to pick it up on all fours, Longoria came up from behind him and snapped his neck, breaking it right away and severed his spine.

"Hey, McCully, where'd you go?" Two more officers called and came out of the tent. Both were tipsy.

Longoria found a rock near her foot, picked it up, and tossed it at one of the solar lights. "Hey, what the hell was that?" one slurred.

"Dunno. Probably lost power 'cause it's a _solar_ light, dumb ass!" the other yelled. He went to examine the light, and Longoria pulled him towards herself with a biotic field. He floated in her direction, she seized him, and cut his throat as well.

"Huh? McClain? What's goin' on…?" the last drunken marine inquired. Longoria surprised him from behind with a sweep kick, took him down, and pounced upon him before he could react. "Who're-"

She struck him in the chin with her gloved palm. His neck snapped backward, leaving it wide open for attack, and she made her last kill with the combat knife then and there. He made one muffled gurgling sound through his helmet and lay still. _That's five dead. Six went to see the disturbance. And those other two tents right next to the ATVs probably couldn't hold more than six each. Hmm…let's see here._

Longoria put her knife back onto her leg, approached one tent, and took the two frag grenades she had. No one had heard her yet so far, but this sure as hell would wake everyone. Unfortunately, there was no way that she could possibly defend herself going blindly into the tent and killing them all in their sleep without stepping on one at least. _Well, here goes. Don't have much more time to waste before that other team heads back from the distraction_.

She armed the grenades, deactivated the tent's barrier with her omni-tool, tossed them inside, and ran as far away as she possibly could.

The blast naturally woke everyone up. All of the marines in the tent with the grenades were dead. The other tent immediately sprang into action. Longoria threw the 'whitey pete' at the first three who came out. They covered their eyes, yelling in pain, and she shot them all as quickly as possible with her pistol. The next three came out faster than she'd hoped, and she had to throw out another orange grenade for a distraction. Longoria sprinted off in the opposite direction so that she could wait for her pistol to cool down. Two marines charged off after the grenade, but one saw her and pulled out his weapon. "Think you can screw with an Alliance marine?!" he shouted and began to fire at her blindly.

Longoria vaulted herself over a mound of dirt and hit the ground to take cover. She cursed at herself for getting so sloppy but waited until he fired his entire clip. As he paused his fire, she pulled him over towards herself and finished him off with her gun. The marines came looking for their comrade, and Longoria threw them to the ground. She crashed her heel into one's chest and shot him several times in it. Just as the last marine from this party started to get up, she reached for one throwing knife on her belt buckle and tossed it into his neck. He stumbled back onto the ground, and she mashed the knife deeper into his neck with her boot to put an end to his misery.

By now, Lloyd had definitely come out of his private tent to see what was going on. The first search party returned much to Longoria's disappointment, and she ran towards the ATVs for some cover. They were discussing the situation, and Longoria frantically thought over her remaining options. She was out of grenades for sure, there must be something that she could use to…aha! One ATV had a turret gun sitting atop it. Serena sneaked up onto the gun, released it from its locked position, and swung it around to start firing.

She'd never shot from a turret gun before-using it was so inaccurate! However, it wasn't too long before she made short work of the remaining marines. Somehow, Lloyd managed to avoid all of the bullets and duck out of danger.

Longoria took a few moments to gather her strength from the huge amount of tremors going through her system. She hopped down from the turret to hunt for Lloyd, who had managed to run inside of his tent and retrieve an assault rifle. "Crap," she mumbled and charged up her biotics.

"Do you know how the hell you're messing with?" he shouted into the night air. "If you know what's good for you, you'll give yourself up and come out!"

Longoria caught her breath and made herself visible. Lloyd didn't immediately know who it was, so he wasted no time. He started to fire the assault rifle but didn't get off more than a few rounds before he found himself being lifted off of the ground. She fired three shots from her pistol, noticed she was out, and as he came back down, she let the gun cool down. Suddenly, he had a few seconds to identify his attacker. "Longoria?" he asked. "You're-"

"About to kill you? That's right. Hope you believe in a nice afterlife for yourself because frankly, pricks like you belong only in one place." Without another hesitation, she coldly fired another four rounds into his face.

As the adrenaline rush began to subside, she stripped away Lloyd's armor. After he was stark naked, she took out his own combat knife and stabbed him below the waist all the way through his balls. Serena calmed her breathing down by inhaling deeply. She relinquished her pistol and began to mentally count all of the bodies. _I'm missing one marine. Where is he? There's no way that he'd sleep through this battle_.

Longoria searched through the tents and found no one. She ended her search with Lloyd's tent, and opened up his data pad. He hadn't found all that much about this place, other than there was a suspicious looking building that had Alliance turrets surrounding it. Lloyd had plans to try and investigate it but had not yet heard anything back from the Alliance. Like the typical good commander that he was, he only followed orders and never took any initiatives.

Serena brought up another window, which had the various names of marines that were enlisted at the listening post here. There was indeed one missing, and she cringed as she felt the muzzle of a pistol touch her helmet. "Turn around very slowly," said a familiar baritone voice. Both of them stared at one another in surprise as she obeyed. It was Kaidan who spoke first. "Serena? Is that you?" He backed away a couple of feet but still kept his pistol trained on her.

"Yeah, it's me. You, you shouldn't be here," she stammered and glanced away. She couldn't look at his eyes-she'd lose herself in them and her nerve.

"Where should I be?" he inquired, not really expecting an answer. "You did all this? All of it, by yourself?"

"What, you think I couldn't?"

"No, I'd never…who're you working for?" Alenko's eyes found her suit's logo. "How could you do this?!"

"It's business, nothing personal," she shrugged.

"If it were nothing personal, then why is our C.O.'s body's naked? You got something to prove by maiming his privates?"

"Why should I tell you now? You wouldn't listen to me five years ago when I tried to!"

"You had killed a man in cold blood, much like you did today, after he had caught you breaking into the Alliance server room, and-"

"My father set me up to have me kicked out, you dimwit! And when I caught the bastard trying to do so, he attacked me! And Lloyd tried to get himself into my pants one more than one occasion, I might add! He told me if I tried to say anything that he'd ruin me!"

"Why should I believe you? I'd know that logo anywhere, and I can't believe that you would stoop to work for Cerberus! You're running with a bunch of terrorists that endorse murder, experiment on aliens, and corrupt officials! Tell me how I should not see this in black and white, huh?!"

"Fine, go ahead. Take me in." She slammed the data pad down so hard that it broke into pieces on the ground. "Wanna put me on trial to make yourself feel better, Alliance golden boy?! Wanna throw me in jail and send me to my grave on a so-called pure conscience?!"

Alenko lowered the gun. "I don't know what I'm gonna do." He looked outside at the bodies. "Lloyd sexually harassed you?"

"Don't you remember when he told you that he didn't want you to come around me anymore? Didn't that give you an indication that maybe he was nuts?"

"Serena, I'm sorry that I didn't act on my feelings. I did know something wasn't right, but I had already lied to the admirals before. What if I had gone to them with false accusations?"

"But they _weren't_ false and you know it now."

"Twenty-four marines, Serena. 24. What does killing them mean for you, for Cerberus?" he whispered.

"The only one I actually did like killing was the one I was supposed to go after, and I can't say much more than that." She crossed her arms defensively.

"What about number twenty five?" Alenko pointed to himself with his thumb.

Longoria sighed angrily and glared at him. "Guess that depends on you."

"You certainly had no qualms about the others. What makes me so different?"

"I can't believe you're asking me that question."

He took her arm in his and gave her his gun. "It's got a full charge. Go ahead. But I want to look at you without these in the way."

The kinetic barriers around the sealed tents hummed as Alenko removed both of their helmets. She swallowed her fear as he put them down onto the ground and stood in front of her so that he was at point blank range. "You still wanna kill me?" he asked.

Now that she locked eyes with him, she lost all her remaining confidence, and threw the pistol onto the ground. "No. I can't." She waited a beat then asked him a question. "You want revenge for Lloyd?"

"Only in an Alliance courtroom. Turn yourself in, come on." He was about to take her hand, but she smacked it away and threw him backward against a wall.

"I'll never go with you back there! We're finished, Alenko!" She grabbed her helmet, put it on, and ran out of the sealed tent. Longoria expected him to chase after her, but Alenko didn't. He just stood there, shaking his head in disbelief.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Highlander Station, Orbit of Sharblu, Arghos Rho

Debriefing Room, July 29th, 2182, 927h

"Congratulations are in order, Operative Longoria," Charon patted her on the back. "We're not in my office because I'd like for you to meet all the other operatives. There are a total of two cells on this station right now. Operative Morrison heads our scientific cell here. You already know that I am in charge of the military cell, and this other Operative is Skye Turnick."

Longoria nodded a polite greeting to the other two personnel, and they gave her the same courtesy. "This room is where we report to central operations," Morrison explained.

"You mean the Illusive Man?" Longoria inquired.

"If he chooses to reveal himself, then, yes. He does not always join in on our meetings, but he always does have his second in charge supply him with her notes," Charon explained. "And that would be Operative Lawson."

"Are we scheduled to report in anytime soon?"

"Not that I've been told," Turnick replied. "Do you need me any more, Charon? I've got things to do."

"Certainly. Thank you for coming," the senior operative responded respectfully. Both Turnick and Morrison left without another word.

"How was your vacation?" Longoria asked.

"Relaxing. I just have one question, though, and should you not decide to answer it, Operative Longoria, I can understand…"

"Is this about the mission?"

"Yes. Our satellite images only can account for twenty-four marines on the planet Binthu. The intel reports on my terminal say that there were twenty-five. Were they incorrect?"

"It's not the first time those pencil-necks were wrong," Longoria shook her head. "There were only 24 Alliance marines, Charon."

"I'll include that in my report, thank you. Well done."

The Operative Lounge

July 29th, 2182, 2237h

The seats in this bar were all plush and were even supplied with recliners. "Ah, this is the good life," she sighed and leaned back into one as she enjoyed her beer. Agents were permitted in here, but only upon the invitation from an operative. Michael Benson joined her on the love seat recliner and put his feet up.

"So you got to kill a bunch of Alliance marines, huh?" he questioned her, which made her grin.

"Yeah, I was able to settle a few scores that day." Her omni-tool beeped at her, and she activated it. "Hmm…"

"What is it?"

"Some very important information I've been wanting for a long time now. Can't talk now, gotta go."

"Thought we were gonna have that quiet drink you owe me for cleaning up your old clunking cruiser!"

"Raincheck?" Her legs pushed the recliner down, and she hopped up quickly off of the couch. Benson sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, but don't keep me hanging too long."

Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada

August 1st, 2182, 638h

Serena gazed from her balcony hotel suite at the giant forest that lay before her, Linley Valley. Although Canada had made the majority of this area a national park, there was a small section that had just been opened to lumber companies for logging. Naturally, her father wanted a share of it. Longoria Lumber had made leaps and bounds ever since she left Earth-it was coming close to being a monopoly. The other company, Nazaruk Lumber was a relative newcomer to logging. However, they were competitors, and Serena knew how her father did business. First, he'd try delegation to buy them off. Next, he'd try to undermine the company by using one of their employees to betray them, and if that didn't work, the third tactic usually resulted in muscle.

The Shadow Broker sent her some memos that he'd received from the Blue Suns mercenaries regarding her father's itinerary, which told her that he was at his last resort now. It also meant that she had to be more careful. There were six men assigned to her father; they were all human, so that made life easier. Turians and Batarians were much harder to kill, but her father was xenophobic. According to these memos, the Blue Suns had originally intended to send one of each to balance out the group, but Longoria had objected to it once he saw the aliens present.

Her father was staying the same hotel she was; naturally, she used a pseudonym to check in, and he had a room on the corner two floors above hers. But she wouldn't kill him here: there were too many witnesses. Besides, she'd had to clean up her mess. It'd be far easier to take him out in the forest, where his meeting with Nazaruk Lumber was originally scheduled for 800h this morning.

After finishing her morning coffee, small breakfast, and stretches, Serena prepared herself for the attack. This wasn't some stealth mission; this time, she brought an assault rifle with her as well as a pistol, her twin throwing knives, and a couple of frag grenades just in case. Although she was not expecting to have to use the grenades, she always liked to be ready.

Half an hour later after she had suited up in the Cerberus uniform, she thought twice about wearing it but realized that she had no other protective suit. That was something else on the list for her to buy with her secondary income.

As she waited in the forest and watched the meeting, it was not looking good for Mr. Nazaruk, its proprietor. Nazaruk himself had brought protection, but these were only two men, probably some cheap bodyguards. Russell Longoria's words were calm at first, but then the two men started to get into a fight. Before long, the Blue Suns made short work of Nazaruk and his bodyguards. All three were easy to kill for the Blue Suns, but none of the mercs knew that she was there ready to just spring into action.

The Blue Suns just finished their attack when Serena revealed herself. She surprised them from behind with heavy gunfire from her assault rifle. Two of them fell dead quite easily. Two of them hid behind the evergreens for cover while the other two rushed to protect Russell Longoria.

"I don't have time for this," she mumbled to herself as she also ducked behind a tree. The two mercs unleashed gunfire from their own weapons while she unhooked a grenade from the front of her belt clip. After arming it, she made an underhand toss to her left. Both of the mercs saw it, started to run away, but couldn't quite make it in time. The blast killed one while the other one just got wounded in the leg from it.

She reappeared into sight and gunned him down without another thought. Serena's eyes scoured the forest for her father and the two remaining mercs. Thankfully, their blue insignia made it relatively easy for her to find, and if she sprinted now, she could catch up with them.

Thirty seconds later, she did, and threw the whole group down to the ground with her biotics. Thankfully, neither of the men were wearing helmets or had shields. They were easy kills with her pistol. When she'd finished them off, Russell Longoria was just now getting up from the ground. His back was to her, and he was wiping off his suit coat. "I don't know if Nazaruk hired you, but maybe we can make deal here," he huffed and turned around.

She walked closer to him. Longoria's jaw dropped in complete shock. "Serena?" he whispered.

"Didn't think I could drop your whole group of bodyguards, did ya? And you really should've taken those aliens with you. Might still be alive to protect you now," she smirked and held up the pistol.

"So, you really are a cold-blooded murderer. Humph, that figures," he shook his head. "Guess that's what happens when you don't have a mother to raise you."

"Touché, but you didn't exactly spare Mr. Nazaruk, did you?"

"It was business. I offered him a way out, and he wouldn't take it." He made a wave with his arm as he said this, which made Serena scoff.

"You haven't changed at all. In fact, you've gotten worse," she stated angrily.

"So what's with the gun? You here for Cerberus because I stopped giving them money?"

"You'd like to think that, wouldn't you? I'm here on my own accord. Cerberus is just a stepping stone."

"What do you want, money? Could've just asked. Why come all the way here and kill my guns for hire?"

"You don't get it, do you? I know what you did." Her voice lowered in pitch, and she came a little closer to him, now within ten feet.

"I've done many things. Mind being a little more clear about that?"

"I'm here to settle your accounts, Mr. Longoria. Don't worry, your death will balance everything out."

Longoria's smug attitude and confident smirk disappeared from his face immediately. "My…death…?"

"Don't tell me you never saw this coming. I've never been more valuable to you than one of your precious lumber mills that you just couldn't let go of. First you send me away, then you give my body up to science, next you trick me into going to a Canadian Air Force recruiting office. And well, when that brilliant idea failed, you tried to get me back. Oh, you just couldn't bear to see your daughter's dreams come true, could you?"

"So that's what Santiago meant when he said that he'd lost four men. I just thought that the Alliance brass had killed them all," Longoria replied and swallowed a lump in his throat.

"And to top it off, you get me thrown out of the Academy! Is there no end to your goddamned greed?!"

"No, there isn't." Longoria shook his head and thought for a moment. "Look what I've done…"

"It's a little late for apologies now."

"Your mother was taken from me, Serena. From _me_. She never had a chance…died from a brain aneurysm. Never told you that, did I?"

"No, you didn't, like it matters now. You've never taken any time out of your so-called busy schedule to ever explain anything to me," Serena spat. "I'll make your death painless, quick, and simple like hers, then."

"Wait, Serena. I just didn't know what to do." He held up his hands in surrender, which made her lower her gun momentarily. "I should've told you a lot of things about your mother. Denial is the easiest way to deal with grief, and it doesn't excuse how I treated you when you were growing up."

"Trying to clean your conscience now?"

"No, just being honest, which is something I should've done with you a long time ago. I realize now that you've turned into me, maybe even worse." He sighed angrily at himself. "I'm to blame for it all."

Serena eyed the holster that was attached to his hip. "Draw it, and let's get this done. I'll at least be fair about this."

"I can't do that," he shook his head no. "You're all I've got left."

"Still just a _thing_ to you, I see. Come on, Longoria, I said let's get this over with."

"No, that's not what I meant. I can't shoot you."

"Fine." She raised up the pistol again, but as she looked into his eyes, she no longer saw a ruthless father. This expression was one of sentiment, not fear for his own survival. The inner struggle was pulling her to pieces-could he really love her? Or could he just not want to pull the trigger on her because she was genetic material?

She made her decision and fired the gun. It missed him purposefully and grazed the ground near him. "I don't ever want to see you again, unless it's in your grave or in a casket. Leave…me… alone," she said through clenched teeth. "I don't have to kill you to know that you'll end up in one of your pine boxes face first some day. And it'll probably come soon with the way you do business."

Highlander Station, Orbit of Chasca, Maroon Sea

August 1st, 2182, 1309h

Serena had eaten aboard her ship before leaving; she preferred it today rather than having to face the lunch crowds in Cerberus' cafeteria. The last thing she wanted to do right now was talk to someone about her feelings. _Oh, damnit, not now. I don't wanna talk…_

Benson coincidentally (or perhaps not) was traveling down the docking bay towards her. "Hey, Longoria," he waved with a grin. "What's up?"

"I'm busy, Benson. Talk later," she rolled her eyes. Thankfully, her omni-tool beeped at her with a message from Operative Charon. He wanted to see her in the briefing room. _Good. Don't have to make an excuse to brush him off_.

"Please, Operative Longoria, sit," the senior agent told her as she journeyed inside the room. No one else was there. "I would have asked that we step inside of my office, but I am expecting to hear from Operative Lawson in a few minutes. She requested that you be present for this meeting as well."

"What's this about?"

"She asked me to brief you before she calls, so let me get started."

Longoria sat beside him as he activated his own omni-tool and brought up some holographic images on the projector in front of them.

"We've got a problem inside Cerberus. Some information about our projects is being leaked. We're not sure who's doing it or where the data is specifically going, but that's why I recommended you for the job," Charon began.

"Me? What about those other operatives…Turnham and Morrison?" she asked timidly.

"They've been reassigned elsewhere." Miranda Lawson's image suddenly popped up on the communication channel. "This station is Operative Charon's cell; they were only here temporarily. Cerberus would like to give you an opportunity to perhaps lead your own cell, Operative Longoria. This assignment will actually help you do so and splinter off away from Operative Charon."

"I…don't know what to say, I…-" Longoria was speechless. However, she was also scared now because it meant that they knew someone was leaking information out, and these reports could very well be hers.

"You've had this coming, Longoria," Charon's response drew her back out of her thoughts. "I said that it was high time for you to stand on your own two feet, and I know for sure that you can do it now. Consider me as an equal in this task, not your superior."

"Right. I've sent some copies of the leaked transmissions to Operative Charon, and they should also now be forwarded to you," Lawson continued. "So far, our analysts haven't been able to trace it properly, and since you're able to read people, we know that you'll be able to finish the job."

"Where do they think it's coming from?"

"This space station," Charon informed Serena. "It could be from someone's omni-tool, an extranet station…we're just not sure. This person has covered his or her tracks fairly well."

"All right, say that I've found the leak. How do I handle the situation?"

"Try to confront the person first. See if being caught changes his or her attitude. If it doesn't, or of course if you feel that your life is in danger, deal with it how you see fit. We normally don't like killing our own people off without a good reason, but I don't think I need to tell you why now," Miranda instructed her. "Once the assignment is done, call me, or have Operative Charon call me. We'll go from there." She disconnected the call and her image disappeared.

"Do you know anything about Operative Lawson?" Serena inquired.

"She's the Illusive Man's top agent and is also from Earth," Charon said and arose. "Brilliant woman."

"What else?"

"I can't tell you much else. Besides, the more you know in this agency, the more dangerous it is to be alive. You haven't been caught yet, Operative Longoria, but believe me, there's a reason why we wear those molar capsules. I came _very_ close to using it once," Charon warned her. "Thankfully, I was able to break free of my captors, and that story will have to wait for another time to come in the future." He glanced at his omni-tool. "Please rendezvous with me in my office if you'd like to discuss anything further about the mission. Just give me a bit of a warning first, though."

"Of course. Gonna sweep it for bugs?" Longoria joked.

He did not return her laugh. "Watch your back," was all he said as he left the briefing room.

She activated her omni-tool and combed through the transmissions; these were indeed the reports she'd been sending to the Shadow Broker! The encryption program must have either been cracked by the Cerberus hackers, or somehow the data must have gotten corrupted. Either way, she knew that her neck was now on the line.

It was far too late to try and cover up the mess now. Running would be just about the most idiotic thing to do. Besides, the Shadow Broker only wanted her to be an agent because of her status. She liked being an agent of the Broker-he gave her good intel as well as a _very_ competitive salary, much better than anything she'd been receiving from Cerberus. However, if she were able to get her own cell, perhaps she'd receive more money.

No. He gave her the information she wanted, and even though she had not had the heart to kill her own father, he at least held up his part of the bargain. Cerberus didn't do that for her. They were too wrapped up in their own business to even think about it again.

There was only one thing to do: pin it on a scapegoat and hope that doing that would satisfy Cerberus.

*A/N*-Thank you to everyone who has been faithfully reading. There is but one chapter more of this story. Reviews are always treasured and welcomed. If you didn't like the story either, constructive criticism is good, too. What does constructive criticism mean? It means that you state what you liked about the story and try to give helpful hints about what you didn't like or what you think could possibly make this person into a better writer. It's impossible to please everyone, but I do try my best. There are many rules about creative writing, but for me, there are two ones that come to mind. 1.) You have to enjoy what you're writing. 2.) Research what you can to the best of your abilities. With all the information that's available out there on the internet, why not do so?


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Orbit of Apo, Mantano system, Maroon Sea cluster

August 3rd, 2182, 2:28h

Benson had yet to come back to the agent quarters. He must've been out for a night of carousing. In a way, she felt guilty because he had provided her a way to contact the Shadow Broker. However, there was certainly no way that she could have planted the evidence on Operative Charon. He was too shrewd and besides, operatives had their own separate cabins. Nobody would look twice at her as she entered Benson's quarters, as they did socialize quite a bit together. Most Cerberus personnel thought that they both were dating.

Unlike the Alliance, the agent quarters were co-ed. There were no rules against fraternization, so Serena felt absolutely no shame when she sneaked into them and planted a data pad underneath his pillow. She made sure that her omni-tool was on stand-by for recording when he came back. There were two to each cabin, and Benson's top bunkmate usually stayed over with her boyfriend. Tonight was no exception.

Benson wobbled back into his room and hit the switch on the wall, no doubt too intoxicated to even see her leaning against the wall in the dark. After he spun around, he saw her. "Hey, Serena. Wanna go back and get another beer together?" he asked innocently and burped.

"I would take you up on that offer, Benson, but unfortunately, we've got a problem," she said and hit record on the omni-tool.

"Problem? What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure where I'll start specifically. But I gotta say that I never expected it to be you."

"Me? I'm always me, what do you-" He started to remove the covers from his bed and knocked the data pad onto the floor. Benson bent down dizzily to pick it up and glanced at the object. "What _is _this?"

"Like you don't know," she huffed and crossed her arms. "Come on, Benson. We've known each other for a few years now. You can fess up now-I won't hold it against you."

"I don't get it." He shook his head as he tried to read the screen, but the text was too blurry for him to read. "Something on your mind?"

"I was assigned to find the person or group of people responsible for broadcasting information outside of Cerberus. And of all people, like I said, I never thought it'd be you," Longoria commented sadly. "Why would you do something like this? Are these reports going to the Alliance-some hot-shot reporter, maybe, who promised you one helluva kick back?"

"I'd never betray Cerberus," he slurred.

"Then why hide this data pad in your room, away from everyone? There's no use in continuing to deny it, I already read everything."

"I'm telling ya, I don't know where that came from. I leave all my shit in my locker or on my terminal."

"Maybe we can make a deal. Just confess to it, and maybe Operative Charon will cut you some slack."

"There's no need, Serena, because I didn't do anything!" He started to sober up and reality began to hit him. Thankfully, she had just stopped the recording. That was plenty of evidence should they need it. She withdrew her pistol.

"This is a set up. You're trying to cover up your own-"

He never got to finish his accusation; she gunned him down with two shots to the head. Longoria next hit the recording button again. "An unrepentant traitor like you deserves execution, Benson. Cerberus represents the best of humanity's ideals, and you just signed your own death warrant by betraying us," she finished and fired another shot into his temple to make sure that he was indeed dead.

Longoria pried the data pad away from his fingers and walked calmly out of the room as if nothing had just happened.

Orbit of Illapa, Matano system, Maroon Sea Cluster

August 4th, 2182 1019h, Briefing Room

"Good work, Operative Longoria," Miranda Lawson's voice on the communication channel greeted Serena as she strolled into the chamber.

"Yes, thanks to you, we've been able to pull out a rather serious weed," Operative Charon's head bobbed up and down with approval. "That recording you made proved it all. Too bad that he wouldn't surrender. Benson was a good pilot." His eyebrows knit themselves together. "I just can't…well…-"

"Something you'd like to add, Charon?" Miranda inquired.

"Well, you can't always see a betrayal coming," he shrugged and arose from his seat. "He was a good hacker and a good pilot. I never like losing people from my team. And now, well…I'm gonna lose another one." Charon glanced up at Longoria with a forlorn smile. "I'm proud of you, Longoria. You'll always feel like a daughter to me."

Serena stiffened up and nodded. "I learned a lot under you, sir, and I'll never forget to be careful because of you."

"Wherever they post you, Operative Longoria, promise me some day, that we get together for a drink. Maybe we can really talk." He patted her on the shoulder and left the room.

Longoria wasn't quite sure what to feel about her former superior now. Here he was congratulating her for a job well done-for framing a friend and killing him. At least she didn't shoot him in the back. She sat down at the table in front of Lawson.

"So I guess that leaves us two ladies," Longoria stated nervously. She felt all the more anxious as she felt Miranda's cold gaze look her over. "What does Cerberus have in mind for me?"

"The Illusive Man has one or two assignments in mind for you, Operative Longoria. Ever been to a planet called Illium?"

"No, I haven't. Where is it?"

"In the Terminus systems. We've got some work for you there should you be interested. Or perhaps you'd like to go to Omega, which is located in the Saharabik system. A woman like you should have no issues whatsoever dealing with the ilk of people on that planet," Miranda replied.

"You're giving me a choice?"

"Naturally. This isn't the Alliance, you know. We recognize your talent and would like to reward your hard work."

"Can I have the details of both possible missions before I decide which place to go?"

"That's fair-you've never been to either place. Come back to the briefing room tomorrow at nine hundred hours with your decision, Operative Longoria." Miranda closed the channel.

"Ever hear of the word 'please'?" Longoria muttered to herself. "Damn, thought I had problems."

SSV Calgary Goddess, orbit of Illium

August 9th, 2182, 1115h

Longoria left the cruiser on autopilot while she made her call. Two days ago, she'd gone to Omega to acquaint herself with the planet's so-called culture. Yuck. She'd found more charming slums in Toronto but had run across a shop that sold some decent signal scramblers. What better way to test it out than now on her way to a mission for Cerberus?

"Agent Longoria, your update is most pleasing. I am glad that you were not exposed-your value to my organization has just soared upward," the Broker's filtered voice told her in her comm room.

"It came close, that's for sure. But I've gotten Cerberus' trust now, and if you wouldn't mind, I'd appreciate a better encoding device so that my delicate position won't be compromised in the future," Longoria stated.

"One can be delivered to you. Where will you be in the next one or two solar days?"

"Illium, a port called Nos Astra. Do you have anyone stationed there?"

"I know the port, and yes, there are agents there. One will provide with a _very_ sophisticated model. It's used in the asari intelligence units," the Broker informed her. "Will you be arriving within the day?"

"Probably in an hour or so. Know any good places to eat?" she joked.

"Your contact does own a few restaurants, Agent Longoria. I will forward the address to your omni-tool."

She laughed. "I can't believe how widespread your network is, thanks. And I also wanted to thank you for providing that other data…you know, about my father."

"Is that situation behind you?"

"It's as resolved as it needs to be."

"Good. I won't contact you until your job on Illium has been completed. Approximately how long will that be?" the Broker queried.

"Three or four days at the minimum," she shook her head. "Why?"

"New Dawn Pharmaceuticals is suspected of being a Cerberus front by the Salarian STG group. There has got to be an organization that goes in between New Dawn Pharmaceuticals and Cerberus, but it is difficult to pinpoint it without proper evidence. I would like for you to escort a fellow Broker agent so that he may learn more information about it. I could not ask you to infiltrate your own organization without drawing more attention to you."

"Thank you. This would be my pleasure, Shadow Broker." Longoria ended the call and traveled back to the cockpit with a beam.

She sighed happily to herself and transferred manual control back to herself as she maneuvered the Goddess into Nos Astra's docking arms. "This day just couldn't get any better."

THE END

*A/N*-Okay, thanks to everyone for reading. Although this story has long been finished for over a year now, reviews are still appreciated. If you like this story, then might I suggest browsing Amazon's or Barnes and Noble's websites for my book called "The Edge of Obliteration"? It is available in both paperback and e-book format, depending on your fancy. The author name is listed under Sigyn Piwonka. The book is not related to the Mass Effect series, but it is about science fiction, suspense, and espionage. The protagonist or hero is just a normal Joe Schmoe who kind of gets wrapped up in a very intriguing series of circumstances that take place about sixty years in the future (our current century).

The list price for the novel is about $14 on paperback plus three or four dollars for shipping. I've seen the price actually a little less on Amazon-I think that there was a copy for eight bucks when I last viewed the website about two days ago. The e-book is $3.99. There is a free sample available on the Amazon website should you like to read it. There is also a dedicated Facebook page to the book with some FAQ and a few sample conversations in it that happen in between characters. If you like what you read, please do hit the "like" button, as it does help with advertising. Thank you all!


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